The ruling BJP and its ally, the Rabha Hasong Jautho Sangram Samiti (RHJSS), swept the Rabha Hasong Autonomous Council (RHAC) elections, bagging 33 of the 36 seats, the results once again underlining the declining influence of the Congress in the state’s tribal pockets.

The RHJSS won 27 of the 36 seats and the BJP six to retain control of the council, while Independents won two seats and the Congress, the principal Opposition party, won a single seat out of the 30 it contested. The elections held on April 2 recorded a turnout of about 69 per cent of 4.46 lakh voters. In 2019, the ruling coalition had won 34 seats.

Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma described the victory as “another saffron wave” for the NDA partners in the state with the Rabha Hasong people “endorsing” Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s welfare policies, particularly for indigenous
communities.

BJP leaders J.P. Nadda and Amit Shah were among those who thanked the people of RHAC and party workers for the landslide victory.

Cong debacle

Though Congress leader Pranay Rabha, who was looking after the RHAC polls, attributed the dismal performance to alleged rigging by the ruling alliance, several Congress leaders told The Telegraph that it was “a warning bell for them and high time to introspect” and come up with a roadmap to make an impact in the upcoming panchayat polls followed by the crucial Assembly elections new year.

The leaders said the RHAC results showed “we need to be with the people at all times, and not only during elections”.

Lower rung leaders spoke about how influential state leaders are busy securing their interests instead of the party’s and the presence of BJP moles in the party, something which the AICC top brass “needs to look into and weed out instead of merely issuing warnings to act against those working across purposes”.

Two Congress candidates left the race on the last day of withdrawal, the state PCC has ordered an inquiry on who recommended their candidature.