Digboi: Political activity has gathered pace in the newly constituted 85 No. Makum Legislative Assembly Constituency in Assam’s Tinsukia district, which is set to go to the polls for the first time in the forthcoming Assembly election.
Formed by carving out areas from the Digboi, Tinsukia, Chabua and Doomdoma Assembly segments, the constituency comprises 15 gram panchayats and the Makum Municipal Board area. It covers nearly 221 villages and around 21 small and large tea gardens, giving the tea community considerable electoral significance.
With polling less than two months away, leaders across the political spectrum have stepped up visits to villages and tea garden areas, seeking to establish early organisational presence in a constituency marked by demographic diversity and electoral uncertainty.
According to available estimates, Assamese-speaking voters constitute the largest segment at around 82,300, representing communities such as Moran, Motok, Ahom, Sonowal Kachari, Kaibarta, Mising, Chutia and Brahmin–Kalita. Tea tribe voters together number approximately 46,000, including nearly 22,000 Christians and 24,000 Hindus. In addition, the constituency has about 10,000 Bengali-speaking voters, 6,500 Hindi-speaking voters, and roughly 6,000 voters each from Muslim and Nepali communities.
With no single social group commanding a clear numerical advantage, observers describe Makum as a competitive seat where candidate selection, organisational depth and coalition arithmetic are likely to influence the outcome.
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has begun consolidating its organisational base in the constituency, which it considers strategically important. Four leaders are seeking the party’s nomination: State BJP vice-president and Assam Housing Board chairman Pulak Gohain; party spokesperson and youth leader Tridipjyoti Moran; Chief Executive Member of the Moran Autonomous Council Arunjyoti Moran; and tea community leader Manoj Dhanowar, who recently joined the party. All four have been active across different parts of the constituency, focusing on outreach among distinct voter groups.
The opposition, meanwhile, continues to face challenges in presenting a cohesive front, despite Makum having no history of electing a BJP MLA. In the Congress, APCC secretary Sibanath Chetia, former Chabua MLA Raju Sahu and former Doomdoma MLA Dilip Moran are among the prominent aspirants, though internal differences are reported to have affected coordination at the local level.
The Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) has named Central general secretary Jyotimoni Moran and Yuva Parishad organisational secretary Prabal Chetia as its prospective candidates, but party functionaries acknowledge limited organisational strength in the newly formed constituency. The absence of visible campaign activity by the Raijor Dal and Assam Jatiya Parishad (AJP) has further added to uncertainty within the opposition camp.
Political observers say that while Makum remains open to a non-BJP victory, this would depend largely on whether opposition parties are able to arrive at a seat-sharing arrangement or coordinated strategy. In the absence of such an understanding, the BJP’s early mobilisation and organisational presence could place it at an advantage.
As the constituency moves towards its maiden Assembly election, the choice of candidates and the ability of parties to consolidate support across diverse social groups are expected to determine the electoral outcome.