Doomdooma: With 13 days remaining for the Assam Assembly elections, the tea-rich constituency of Doomdooma witnessed a sharp surge in electioneering on Friday.
The candidates and party workers blanketed villages with street-corner meetings, door-to-door outreach, and passionate appeals amid pressing concerns over river erosion and tea industry distress.
The contest is shaping up between Bharatiya Janata Party’s Cabinet Minister Rupesh Gowala and Congress’s Durga Bhumij. Gowala, who holds the Labour Welfare, Tea Tribes and Adivasi Welfare portfolios, is seeking re-election on the NDA ticket after filing his nomination on March 23.
BJP workers, on Friday afternoon, exuded confidence as they mobilised support in tea gardens and erosion-prone areas. “The overwhelming response we are receiving from the ground clearly shows that people of Doomdooma trust the development initiatives and welfare measures implemented under the BJP government,” a senior BJP functionary said, requesting anonymity.
Gowala’s campaign has highlighted land rights for tea workers and the ‘Uddipan’ education programme for children in the community.
Congress candidate Durga Bhumij, who narrowly lost to Gowala by over 8,000 votes in 2021, stepped up her aggressive outreach. Addressing supporters in a riverside village on Friday evening, she declared, “The people of Doomdooma have endured enough unchecked erosion along the Dangori river, neglect of small tea growers, and broken promises. This time, they are demanding real change and accountable governance.”
Local grievances dominated the day’s discourse. Residents of Kordoiguri and villages affected by the Dangori and Ananta Nala rivers voiced long-standing worries over recurring land loss since the 1990s.
Tea garden workers raised issues of stagnant wages and delays in welfare schemes.
With polling scheduled for April 9 and results on May 4, the next few days of frenetic campaigning will prove decisive.
Political watchers believe the outcome in this Upper Assam seat may indicate broader trends in the tea belt and Adivasi-dominated areas.