Children run after after a vehicle, which is rarely seen in the char areas. Picture by Diganta Kumar Sarma

Baigormari (Mangoldoi), April 5: Abbas Ali and Halima Khatoon would have been apt brand ambassadors for the Election Commission in its efforts to draw everyone to the polling booths, given their enthusiasm to vote against all odds. The only thing that would go against them, though, is their age ? they are only seven.

Anyone visiting this char (riverine island) village in the minority-dominated Mangoldoi constituency, which goes to polls on April 10, can see cheerful, half-naked, dishevelled children chasing and yelling kagaj din, kagaj din (give the papers, give the papers) at the sight of approaching vehicles.

The papers they refer to are leaflets distributed by political parties in the area before every poll. When asked why he needs the paper, Ali replies, ?Vote dimmu, vote dimmu? (I will vote, I?ll vote). Khatoon too expresses a similar wish, little realising that they are not ready for it.

This is a common sight in the village, as well as in Magurmari, where people are mainly dependent on agriculture. The vast expanse of lush green fields stands out in contrast to the sight presented by the children.

Farizul Haque, a local farmer, said, ?Election is something like a festival in these parts. The only time we get the attention of the panchayat people and also of the political parties. There is free distribution of bidis and chai during campaigning, wherein we are told to vote without fail or else our name would be struck off the rolls. That is why there is this fascination for voting among minors and elders alike.?

The fact that the people living in the char areas are viewed as illegal migrants is another reason why these people prize their vote. ?The common perception is that most of us are illegal migrants. Vested interests play on this perception to seek vote by assuring us security and prosperity, which is forgotten as soon as the polls are over. Only our local representatives prosper after every election,? adds Haque.

This is largely true. Just 5 km from Kharupetia, considered the vegetable bowl of Assam, this village has one formal school. Magurmari has none. Irrigation and roads are almost non-existent. Floods and erosion continue to wreak havoc in their lives.

When asked about the state of education in the char areas, Akhiluddin Ahmed, a teacher, said: ?Had it not been for the over 100 Sarba Siksha Abhiyan schools in the constituency, the situation would have been even more grave.?

Political parties cannot afford to ignore the chars. The chars in this 1,70,770-voter constituency play a decisive role in this three-cornered battle. The AGP?s Hiren Das and the AUDF?s Arjun Das are posing a tough challenge to sitting Congress MLA Basanta Das, who even his detractors admit had done more than any other legislator before him. ?It seems he only forgot us,? rued Suraj Ali.