Violence struck Lekang in Namsai holds key among non-tribal voters in Arunachal

The non-tribal voters are likely to play the role of kingmakers in Lekang Assembly seat in Namsai district of politically fragile Arunachal Pradesh, which was rocked by violent protests in February over the issuance of Permanent Resident Certificate (PRC). The constituency, with 18,194 voters, has four per cent, indigenous voters.

A state government-appointed committee had recommended PRC for six non-Arunachalee communities - Deoris, Mishings, Morans, Sonowal Kacharis, Gorkhas and Adivasis - in Namsai and Changlang districts, but protests by the tribals led the state government to junk the panel's report. Lekang, once considered a citadel of Deputy Chief Minister Chowna Mein, is set to witness a multi-cornered contest, with the BJP pitting greenhorn Jummum Ete Deori against Arunachal Pradesh Congress Committee (APCC) president Takam Sanjoy, a strong contender.

Ete Deori is the daughter-in-law of former Rajya Sabha MP Omem Moyong Deori, who had represented the constituency in the past. The National Peoples' Party (NPP), who is contesting Assembly polls in the state for the first time, has pitched newcomer Nikh Khopi from the seat.

The Janata Dal-United (JDU), which also made its maiden entry into the electoral scene in Arunachal, has fielded woman candidate Padmeshwari Jamoh from the seat, while Janata Dal (Secular) has nominated another greenhorn, Takam Paleng, from Lekang. The deputy chief minister, who won the assembly seat for five consecutive terms, will contest the polls from Chowkham constituency this time.

According to sources, Mein, along with Chief Minister Pema Khandu, had promised citizenship to non-tribals, but the change in stance following the protests in February has led to resentment among the non-tribals in Lekang, prompting the BJP to field a new candidate from the seat. Three people were killed and scores injured when protests broke out in the state over granting PRC to the non- natives, who have been living in Namsai and Changlang districts for decades.

The ruling BJP in the state had alleged that the Congress played a role in fuelling the protests, a charge denied by the grand old party. "The BJP government in the state, on the behest of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has raised the PRC issue, leading to never-seen-before violence in Arunachal," the state Congress president said Sunday at a rally here.

Severely criticizing the BJP for allegedly dividing Indians on caste, creed and religious lines, Sanjoy said that the "Congress alone can keep this great nation united". The voters in the constituency, however, are divided on the PRC issue, but the majority of them exuded confidence that the new government would take the matter to a logical conclusion.

Wanpho Sumnyan, a 40-year-old resident of Silatoo village in the constituency, said he would vote for a candidate who works for the welfare of the local people. "We will vote for a candidate who is willing to work for the interest of the people here," Sumnyan said.

Chaytha Hopak (45), on the other hand, said she was willing to vote for a "stable government" in this politically fragile state. Gifsana Mannaw, a 28-year-old social activist, contended that people in Lekang should cast their franchise in favour of a candidate, who would give them their due recognition.

Lekang had witnessed a multi-cornered contest in the 2014 assembly polls, too, with Chowna Mein, then a Congress candidate, winning the seat by defeating his nearest rival James Techi Tara of the NCP by a margin of 2,946 votes. He joined the saffron party in 2016, along with scores of supporters. Elections to the two parliamentary constituencies and 60 Assembly seats will be held on April 11 in Arunachal, which has seen a frequent change of guards since 2011.