NPP candidate Nazia Yasmin submits nomination on Tuesday

March 26: Nazia Yasmin Mazumder submitted her nomination for the Silchar Lok Sabha constituency as a candidate of Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad Sangma’s National People’s Party. On Tuesday, Nazia submitted her nomination to Laya Madduri, Deputy Commissioner, Cachar. NPP started its Assam unit on March 6 this year and announced that it will contest from all the 25 Lok Sabha constituencies in the Northeast. However, NPP does not have any mass support base in Assam.

Accompanied by her supporters, the chief among them being former MLA cum minister, Misbaul Islam Laskar, Nazia reached the office of the Deputy Commissioner, Cachar. While addressing the media, Nazia expressed confidence and said that Congress candidate Sushmita Dev sheds crocodile tears for the minorities. She alleged Miss Dev of playing vote bank politics with the minorities.

It needs mention here that an Engineer by profession, Nazia in the recent past has become a severe critic on Sushmita Dev on the issue of the stand of Sushmita Dev in the Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) constituted for Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, 2016. She, however, said that her main agenda is development of Cachar and for that she would be striving hard. She also criticised Prime Minister Narendra Modi for lack of real development in the last 5 years.

Apart from Nazia, 13 others have also submitted the nomination from Silchar. They are: Sushmita Dev from Congress, Rajdeep Roy from BJP, Shamdeo Kurmi from SUCI, Hitabrata Roy from AITC, Badrul Ismlam Barbhuiya from AIFB and 8 Independent Candidates. This takes the tally of contesting candidates to 14.

It is certain that Silchar Lok Sabha constituency will witness a triangular contest among Sushmita, Rajdeep and Nazia. Political analysts are of the view that the fight for Silchar will culminate in a tight finish. Though the chances of victory for Nazia seems to be less, yet she will succeed in snatching away the votes which would otherwise have been secured by the Congress. So if she succeeds in creating a divide in the Congress vote bank by securing a somewhat share of the minority votes, than the chances of Dr. Rajdeep Roy will be bright. Whatever may be the outcome, but it is for certain that the Lok Sabha Election 2019 will not be a cake walk for the Congress.

The first phase for 91 seats is scheduled on April 11 and the second for 97 seats on the April 18, 2019. The election for 543 Lok Sabha seats is being conducted over seven phases till May 19^th, 2019. Silchar will go for the polls on 18 April. Counting of votes will take place on 23 May, 2019.