Haflong: With just a week left for the 13th North Cachar Hills Autonomous Council (NCHAC) elections in Assam on January 8th, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) candidate for the Khartong constituency, Kenneth Nampui, has officially joined the Trinamool Congress (TMC).
He will now extend his support to TMC candidate Lalthangjosua Nampui in the same constituency.
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Nampui made his official switch in the presence of TMC state president Ripun Bora, TMC general secretary and Dima Hasao in-charge Tarit Chatterjee, TMC Dima Hasao president Aching Jeme, and other party leaders. Due to the nomination withdrawal deadline having passed, he stated that he and his supporters will be voting for TMC.
At a press conference held at their office in Haflong, Bora launched a scathing attack on the ruling BJP government in the state. He accused them of looting funds meant for the development of the hill district and using the district council as a “syndicate” to siphon funds from both the central and state governments.
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Bora further alleged rampant corruption by the BJP, pointing out that despite announcing thousands of crores for development projects, no tangible progress is visible. He claimed that the people are now disillusioned with the BJP’s system and desire leaders who can break this syndicate and challenge their rule. He added that the Indian National Congress (INC) is also following a similar path, which has led to the withdrawal of six of its candidates.
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Confident of TMC’s rising popularity in the hill district, Bora predicted a wave of support after the election results. He believes that many people from the district, including even winning candidates from other parties, will be drawn to TMC’s ideology, leading to a “Tsunami of joining.”
The NCHAC, established on April 29th, 1952, is the oldest council in India operating under the sixth schedule of the Indian constitution. It has administrative control over various departments in the district, excluding general administration, judicial, and home departments.
The polling for NCHAC will be held on January 8th, with ballot counting starting on January 12th and results declared as soon as completed. A total of 93 candidates are contesting the election, with 1,41,121 eligible voters.