ADR issues ‘red flag’ for 8 seats in Assam; 3 of those lie in Barak Valley

Barak Valley, a Bengali-speaking region in the south of Assam, has emerged as a politically sensitive zone ahead of the April 9 Assembly election, with three of its 126 constituencies flagged as ‘red alert’ seats by the Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR) in a report released on March 31. The NGO defines ‘red alert’ seats as those where three or more candidates have declared criminal cases.

Based on self-sworn affidavits of all 722 candidates contesting across the State, the ADR report identifies Sonai (Cachar), Algapur-Katlicherra (Hailakandi), and Karimganj South (Sribhumi) as red alert constituencies. Across Assam, only 8 of 126 constituencies, or 6%, fall under this category. Barak Valley accounts for three of those eight, a disproportionate share for a region with only a handful of seats (13).

Sonai was flagged as a red alert seat in both 2011 and 2016. Karimganj South was a red alert constituency in 2011, Karimganj North was flagged for the same in subsequent election in 2016. Algapur and Katlicherra, now merged into a single seat post-delimitation, had individually seen candidates with criminal records in previous elections. Barak Valley now has 13 Assembly seats, reduced from 15 earlier.

14% candidates have criminal cases

Statewide, 102 of 722 candidates (14%) have declared criminal cases, while 82 candidates (11%) face serious criminal charges. The candidates with criminal cases come from Congress, AIUDF, AGP and Independents alike, mirroring the broader state trend. Among major parties, AIUDF leads with 37% of its candidates having declared criminal cases, followed by Congress at 28% and BJP at 9%.

As per the report, two candidates have declared cases related to crimes against women, while nine candidates face charges of attempt to murder under BNS Section 109.

Striking disparity of income and assets

Barak Valley however, presents a striking picture of extremes in financial fronts. Rahul Roy, the Congress candidate from Hailakandi, is the wealthiest candidate in the entire State with declared assets exceeding ₹261 crore. Mr. Roy, who contested from Algapur in 2011 with ₹9.20 crore in assets and lost, have since grown his assets nearly 28 times. In Hailakandi district, independent candidates Dhrubo Chakraborty and Jibon Roy declared their asests as nil, while several others listed assets worth only a few hundred rupees.

Statewide, 39% of candidates are crorepatis, up sharply from 28% in 2021. Among parties, BJP leads with 88% of its candidates being crorepatis, followed by Congress at 61% and AIUDF at 53%. Top three wealthiest candidates include: Rahul Roy (Congress) Hailakandi: ₹261 crore+; Badruddin Ajmal (AIUDF), Binnakandi: ₹226 crore+ Jayanta Khaund (Congress), Rongonadi: ₹67 crore+.