Assam polls: NPP candidate takes overnight trip to file papers
Boko, March 22: Unlike most candidates of upcoming Assam elections, the likes of NPP’s GB Sangma has a unique challenge – he had to take an overnight journey to file his nomination!
The National People’s Party (NPP) candidate of Boko-Chaygaon constituency, with substantial Garo population along the Meghalaya-Assam border, has decided to start a day ahead considering remoteness of his constituency.
On Sunday evening, he left his home at Hahim, a remote village along the inter-state border, for Guwahati to file the nomination.
Unlike many candidates who will make a short morning trip to the Deputy Commissioner’s office in Amingaon, Kamrup (Rural), Sangma chose to begin his journey a day in advance, factoring in the long distance and uncertain travel conditions.
Accompanied by nearly a hundred supporters, Sangma’s departure itself resembled a political procession winding out of a border village where connectivity remains a persistent issue.
For residents of Hahim and surrounding areas, accessing administrative centres often requires careful planning, long travel hours, and overnight halts—realities that now shape even the act of filing a nomination.
“I have to reach early in the morning to complete the formalities on time. Given the distance, it is safer to travel today and stay overnight in Guwahati,” Sangma said before leaving.
Earlier in the day, his residence became a hub of activity as supporters from across the constituency gathered, some travelling considerable distances themselves.
The meeting that followed was as much about campaign strategy as it was a reflection of the constituency’s spread-out geography—where mobilising people often means navigating rivers, hills, and patchy roads.
Sangma said his campaign would focus on bridging these very gaps—highlighting rural development, connectivity, and the concerns of both tribal and non-tribal communities living in far-flung areas.
He added that senior NPP leaders, including party president and Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad Sangma, are expected to campaign in the constituency in the coming days.
In contrast, other candidates are preparing for relatively shorter journeys. NDA-backed candidate Raju Mesh and Congress nominee Ramen Singh Rabha are expected to file their nominations on Monday morning, travelling directly to Amingaon from within more accessible parts of the constituency.
Both have been holding meetings with allies and local organisations to consolidate support.
Yet, Sangma’s overnight journey brings into focus a less visible aspect of elections in Northeast India—the sheer distance between remote habitations and administrative centres. In constituencies like Boko-Chaygaon, democracy often begins with a long road.
