The ensuing Lok Sabha election, 2019 will be dominated by the contentious Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, 2016 in the Northeast,
Apart from the illegal migration issue, the CAB is sure to play a pivotal role in deciding the voting pattern of the electorates across the north-eastern states, barring Sikkim.
In the second online opinion poll conducted by Northeast Now, that asked what issue would hurt BJP most in the Northeast, voters have ranked the issue of Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, 2016 in Northeast as their top concern remotely followed by demonetization issue and GST.
Northeast Now teamed up to conduct the online poll in a bid to assess the political pulse of the voters in the Northeast before the Lok Sabha polls.
As per the results of the poll conducted, while 86.97 per cent (661 votes) of polled individuals believe that Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, 2016 should be the key poll issue in Northeast, only 9.08 per cent (69 votes) think the demonetization issue should get top priority in the Lok Sabha polls.
Only 3.95 per cent (30 votes) think that the implementation of GST can affect the polling in the Northeast during the upcoming parliamentary elections.
The Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, 2016 created a uproar across the Northeast with widespread protest witnessed in all the states across the region.
The Meghalaya Goverrnment had even went to the extent to adopting a Cabinet resolution opposing the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, 2016.
Indigenous organizations, citizens’ forum and various outfits also took to the streets across Assam to oppose the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, 2016.
After coming to power, BJP brought in the controversial Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, 2016 that seeks to grant citizenship to Hindu Bangladeshis.
The Bill, which was passed in the Lok Sabha, however, lapsed as the Modi government could not pass it in the Rajya Sabha.