Residents of five villages in Assam’s Tingkhang constituency have alleged that the names of around 60 to 70 families have been left out of the electoral roll for the upcoming Sonowal Kachari Autonomous Council (SKAC) elections, despite claiming to possess the necessary documents.
The SKAC elections are scheduled to be held in September. The statutory autonomous council was established by the Assam Government to protect the social, cultural and economic interests of the Sonowal Kachari community and oversee development programmes in notified areas.
The affected villages are Dirai Alikinar, Dikcham Block, No. 2 Barbil (Thekeraguri), Longboi and Powali Baghmara. Residents said members of the Sonowal Kachari community in these villages had been deprived of their voting rights ahead of the council polls.
Speaking to the media, the residents alleged that they had repeatedly submitted representations over the past several years seeking notified village status for the five settlements under the SKAC. However, they claimed that the administration had not yet granted the status.
According to the residents, the absence of notified village status had resulted in their exclusion from the electoral roll and could also prevent future generations from accessing educational, agricultural and economic benefits available through the autonomous council.
The residents have appealed to Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, Tingkhang MLA Bimal Bora and SKAC Chief Executive Member Tongkeshwar Sonowal to intervene urgently, ensure that the five villages receive notified status and include the names of all eligible voters in the electoral roll before the elections.
