Sootea is just not another constituency that lies along NH 52 in Sonitpur district. It is home to the barechahariya bhaona hosted every five to seven years for over 200 years now at Jamugurihat. As many as 20 to 25 plays based on the Mahabharat and the Ramayan are hosted simultaneously, making it a spectacle.

Then there is the Mukoli Bihu at Borpukhuri par, where like the bhoana, 20 to 25 troupes perform simultaneously and draw thousands of spectators from across the state.

“The bhaona and Mukoli Bihu are events that have contributed to peaceful coexistence of the various communities. The Mising, tea and Muslim communities also participate in the bhaona. We are proud of our tradition,” said Golap Kalita, a retired college teacher.

Over the past few weeks, though, the cultural stage has taken a backseat as the election drama unfolds. Issues related to culture are far removed from the minds of the locals in the run-up to the April 4 polls. Even pressing issues like corruption and lack of development, have receded to the background.

The talking point of the day is Praneswar Basumatary, who was denied nomination because of “intra-party politics” in favour of Hiranya Bora. Even Sootea’s political circles had been shocked because they were bracing for a keen contest between Basumatary and sitting AGP legislator Padma Hazarika. It has been like this since the two first squared off in 1996, with Hazarika leading the race 2-1.

Though denial of ticket to Basumatary has taken the sheen off the contest, it has enhanced his importance. He is most sought after by the candidates who now sniff a chance to unseat Hazarika. His every move and whereabouts are being closely monitored by both the AGP and the Congress. Clearly, it pays to be “wronged” sometimes.

To most in the 1,49, 811-voter constituency, only he had it in him to wrest the seat from AGP. For, he had been nurturing the constituency despite his loss in 2006. He had even started campaigning, expecting re-nomination. Most locals feel Bora neither has the base despite being a local nor the political standing to make things happen.

“It is going to be a three-cornered contest between the AGP, Congress and CPM’s Khemraj Chetri, who has emerged as the dark horse. The absence of Basumatary has given Hazarika the edge. The Bodo, Nepali and Adivasi votes will prove decisive,” said Hazarika who has taught both the Ps and also knows Bora and Chetri. Most share his feelings.

After shuttling between Tezpur and Guwahati to get over the shock, Basumatary returned home on March 27. But the denial still rankles. “I have appealed to my supporters to go for conscience vote because I cannot tell my people to vote for Bora because they have taken blows for me nor I can tell them to vote against my party because I am still a Congressman, not a rebel or a dissident. When I asked our president about the nomination criteria, he told me Bora was a friend,” Basumatary told The Telegraph in Tezpur.

Strange are the ways of the Congress because this friendship could cost both Bora, who had lost the last two elections from Dhekiajuli, and the party dear.