The Barpeta Lok Sabha constituency is one of the 14 Lok Sabha seats in the state of Assam. It is a general category seat which underwent delimitation in 2023. Owing to this reorganisation, the contours of the constituency have changed significantly. It has 10 assembly segments of which five are newly created, namely Abhayapuri, Bhowanipur-Sorbhog, Pakabetbari, Bajali and Tihu. Other segments include Bongaigaon, Barpeta (SC), Nalbari, Hajo-Sualkuchi (SC) and Barkhetri. The constituency is spread across four districts — Bongaigaon, Barpeta, Kamrup and Nalbari. The current MP is Abdul Khaleque of Congress, preceded by Siraj Uddin Ajmal of AIUDF (2014) and Ismail Hussain of Congress (2009). For the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, the candidates in the fray are Deep Bayan of Congress, Manoranjan Talukdar of CPI(M) and Phani Bhusan Choudhury of AGP. The constituency will vote on May 7 in phase 3.
Political Dynamics
Delimitation in 2023: The Barpeta constituency went through a delimitation exercise along with all other regions in the state of Assam in 2023. The result of this reorganisation was that the Muslim-majority constituency was converted into a Hindu-dominated one. Five new constituencies have been carved up while some areas have been shifted to neighbouring Dhubri Lok Sabha Seat. Muslim-dominated seats which particularly leaned towards the All-India United Democratic Front in the 2021 assembly election, namely Chenga and Jania, have been removed from the Barpeta LS constituency. The Nalbari assembly seat, a BJP stronghold, has been transferred to the Barpeta LS constituency. It was previously in Mangaldoi constituency. Hajo-Sualkuchi and Barkhetri have been transferred from Guwahati LS constituency. The seat has added a net total of 77,000 more voters. With the contours of the seat undergoing a complete demographic makeover, the voting factors that will influence the 2024 general election in Barpeta will be significantly different from the 2019 election.Three-way contest: It’s a three-way contest between the Congress, the Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) and the CPI(M). The AGP is in alliance with the BJP and, given the demographic rearrangement, the NDA has a strong winning chance here, with the Congress expected to put up a decent fight but a lack of opposition unity spoiling its chances.BJP Alliance with AGP: The BJP has fielded Lok Sabha election candidates in 11 of 14 seats, leaving two for AGP to contest and one for another alliance partner UPPL (United People’s Party Liberal). The AGP is a regional party whose politics is focused on the welfare and demands of the indigenous Assamese population. Despite its appeal regionally, it has not had a single MP in Parliament since 2009. The AGP is contesting on two seats — Dhubri and Barpeta. According to Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, the BJP intended to give the AGP at least one seat with a ‘winning chance’. That seat seems to be the post-delimitation Lok Sabha constituency of Barpeta.Phani Bhusan Choudhury: AGP’s leader Phani Bhusan Choudhury has entered the race in Barpeta. Choudhury is an eight-term MLA, consistently representing the Bongaigaon assembly seat since 1985. He won the seat in 2021 with a vote share of 54 per cent and a winning margin of over 38,000 votes against the Congress’ candidate. From 2018 to 2021, he served as the minister of food and civil supplies and consumer affairs, as well as pension and public grievances, in the Government of Assam under the Sarbananda Sonowal ministry. Choudhury is a popular leader with a notable record of representing Bongaigaon consistently for almost four decades. He was in the news in March when he broke down in tears after finding out that his party was holding a meeting without him. Apart from his own stature, Choudhury is expected to ride on the Modi wave comfortably. The AGP had previously fallen out with the BJP over the Citizenship Amendment Act in 2019.Modi-Himanta Double Engine: The reorganisation of the seat has ensured that Barpeta will finally have a Hindu MP after more than two decades. A large part of the Hindu community, now in majority, is enthusiastic about an NDA victory. There is an immense Modi wave sweeping across the Barpeta constituency. The chief minister is also popular in the constituency and is seen as a strong-headed and effective leader. Local reports suggest tremendous popularity of welfare schemes, including the free ration scheme, Ayushman Bharat scheme, PM Awas Yojana, and more. Development has also taken place in the state on a large scale, including in Barpeta, which has added to the double-engine’s popularity. Hindutva is a major issue especially the Ram Mandir inauguration event which found resonance here too. Nalbari and Hajo-Sualkuchi have been BJP strongholds since 2016. These seats are also newly included in Barpeta and are strongly influenced by Hindutva politics.Where Congress Stands: Barpeta has traditionally been a Congress bastion with AIUDF having made inroads in 2014. Khaleque, who is a former journalist, had won with a massive lead of 1.4 lakh votes in 2019 against his AGP opponent. This time, however, Congress has replaced him with a new face. The incumbent Congress MP in Barpeta and two-time MLA, Abdul Khaleque, had been rendered politically insignificant in the seat following the delimitation exercise. In protest against the Congress’ decision, he quit the party’s primary membership and said that the party had deviated from people-centric issues. He later withdrew his resignation and reaffirmed his commitment to the party after holding discussions with KC Venugopal, the General Secretary Organisation (GSO) of the Congress. The Congress has nominated Deep Bayan as its candidate this time. Bayan is president of Assam Pradesh Congress Seva Dal and a senior spokesperson of APCC. The exclusion of assembly segments like Jania, Chenga and Baghbar, which comprise a high concentration of Muslim votes, has complicated matters for the Congress. The party had dominated these seats in the 2019 election. The Congress will now rely on assembly seats like Barketri and Barpeta to draw the maximum number of votes. While most of the Muslim votes in the constituency will go in favour of Congress, it faces the threat of losing votes to the CPI(M) candidate who is an MLA from Sorbhog, which has been included in Barpeta this time. The lack of opposition unity is a strong factor negatively affecting the Congress.CPI(M) Fights for Relevance: The CPI(M) has decided to field Manoranjan Talukdar from Barpeta. Talukdar is a veteran CPIM leader and MLA from Sorbhog assembly which has been included in Barpeta post delimitation. In 2021, Talukdar had won Sorbhog with a 50% vote share defeating his BJP rival by almost 10,000 votes. After the CPI(M)’s decision to field him came to light, the CPI(M) state secretary urged the Congress to withdraw its candidate and unite against the BJP. The Communist candidate is expected to come in third and may play spoilsport for the Congress by vying for the minority vote.Key Issues
Hindutva: The Ram Mandir was widely celebrated in the constituency. BJP’s Hindutva push has also unified the Hindu population in Barpeta, which comprises almost 70 per cent of the population. The result of unchecked illegal immigration on a tremendous scale in the 70s-80s led to a massive influx of Muslims which also saw a 77 per cent increase in their population and led to encroachment of tribal land. These concerns aided the BJP in transforming the ‘inner versus outsider’ division into a narrative of Hindu-Muslim hostility. Even while distinct tribal groups have substantial conflicts with the Assamese and a history of violent ethnic strife, the majority of them have demonstrated a willingness to unify on the anti-foreigner issue.CAA-NRC: According to on-ground reports, the CAA-NRC implementation has found favour among the constituents in Barpeta. People, scared of the demographic changes that influx of outsiders might bring, are in full support of BJP’s move.Air Quality: Air pollution is a major concern in Nalbari. According to air quality reports, Nalbari and other southern Assam cities face this challenge as a result of lower forest cover and less annual rainfall. According to Global Forest Watch, Assam has lost the highest tree cover in the northeast, which is more than twice the size of Delhi, an area of 1,483 sq. km. This loss in forest cover has also led to the degrading air quality in Nalbari.Floods and Waterlogging: Floods caused by incessant rains have devastated Barpeta year after year. It has also led to destruction of standing crops, creating waterlogging, soil erosion and affecting large crop areas and thus threatening the sustainability of the drive towards higher productivity and production of various crops in the state. People are displeased about the short-term flood control measures undertaken and have demanded concerted policy decisions on long-term measures, both on the part of state and central governments.Drug trafficking: Nalbari has become one of the major trafficking routes for supply of drugs, such as Cannabis, Heroine, and Brown Sugar. According to on-ground reports, arrests occur every month in relation to possession with intent to sale in Nalbari. Volatility in neighbouring Manipur has increased the flow of drugs into Assam, which has created a drug epidemic issue. Awareness campaigns on the local level have been brought about by the administration to curtail the issue.Welfare Schemes: Schemes like Jal Jeevan and Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana have been widely appreciated by the people.Development: Barpeta has seen a surge in development of civic infrastructure. People now have access to better roads, electricity, education and health infrastructure which has substantially increased the quality of life in the constituency.Unemployment: Unemployment is a major issue in the district but people believe that in the direction Barpeta is headed, it will soon create employment opportunities. According to reports, there has been a decline in the percentage of the population engaged in agriculture for their living. A remarkable portion of agricultural workers have shifted their livelihood occupation from agriculture to a few non-farm activities.Voter Demographics (2011 Census)
Total Voters (after delimitation): 17.6 lakh
Urban Voters (before delimitation): 9.9%
Rural Voters (before delimitation): 90.1%
Literacy Rate (before delimitation): 49.54%.
Social Composition (before delimitation):
SC: 7.9%
ST: 3%
Religious Composition (before delimitation):
Hindu: 45.5%
Muslim: 55.2%
Religious Composition (after delimitation)
Hindu: 63%-65%
Muslim: 36-35%
Infrastructure Development
Nalbari Medical College and Hospital: The college operates under the State Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Assam. Currently, the college has an intact capacity of 100 undergraduate students, from the academic year 2021–22. On April 14, 2023, Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the college and Hospital.Nalbari Engineering College: The Nalbari engineering college is an under-construction college in Nalbari built over an area of 100 acres. It was proposed under the State Higher Education Plan 2014-17.Science Center: A Sub-regional Science Center and Observatory came up in the Nalbari district. It also housed the first 3D Planetarium of the Northeastern region.Vidyanuragi Bishwanath Sharma Road: It will connect NH-31 with RS-9 providing greater connectivity and ease of traffic in the region.New Projects Worth Rs 624 Crore: In March this year, CM Himanta visited Barpeta and announced projects worth Rs 624 crore to transform the district into a major industrial hub. He inaugurated the Atal Urban Set, a two-lane bridge connecting the Barpeta Road Railway station and Surupeta station at an outlay of Rs 42 crore. The renovation and beautification of Simalaguri to Barpeta road will also be done at a cost of Rs 19 crore. He also laid the foundation stone for Sarukhetri district hospital to be built at Rs 108 crore. Further, he pledged Rs 12 crore for a stadium and a road bridge over rail in Sorbhog. A circuit house in Barpeta and two roads involving Rs 13 crore in expenses also came up.Dam: Construction of a dam is under construction on the Pagladia river. The construction work of the Rs 500 crore Pagladiya Multipurpose Dam Project in Nalbari District of Assam began from February 2019 after being eventually planned in 1989.Other Projects: These include construction of a state-of-the-art sports facility in Sariyahatli; building an integrated district commissioner’s office in the district to provide all services on one campus; extension of workshops and laboratories in the Government Polytechnic to transform it into a centre of excellence; expansion of the Nalbari Guwahati road via Hajo; widening and expansion of Nalbari Palla Road from Shalmara to Bongaon Jagara via Billeswar Devalaya; upgradation of resources at the government it is; upgradation and beautification of six of the main roads in Nalbari town; construction of the Mukalmua-Jagara-Bongaon road under the Assam Mala project.Check Lok Sabha Election 2024 Phase 3 Schedule, Key Candidates And Constituencies At News18 Website.
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