Gauhati West: myriad problems, missing solutions

Guwahati: Covering the areas from the LGBI Airport to the long-neglected villages on the Assam Meghalaya border, the Gauhati West constituency has a mix of urban and rural voters. The issues faced in the constituency cover a range as wide as the extent of the constituency. Most of these issues, though, remain unattended to.
There are 2,52,102 voters in the constituency, of which 1,24,420 are women and 1,27,682 are men.There are 46 rural polling stations and 74 urban polling stations. Some of the key areas under the constituency are Borjhar, Azara, parts of Jalukbari, Boragaon, Fatasil, Dhirenpara, Gotanagar, Tetelia, Ganeshpara, Jyotikuchi, Dakhingaon, Ambari, Udalbakra, Santipur, Machkhuwa, Bishnupur and Kalapahar among others.
Sanjoy Borbora, a resident of Dakhingaon, said that there are around 500 families living in his locality who don't have requisite documentation for their land. "We have been living here for more than 40 years. But we are yet to have our land documents. We are uncertain of our future here. We have been approaching the MLAs for assistance but it has not yielded any results so far," he said.
On the Assam-Meghalaya border, the Garbhanga village looks forward to better living and connectivity. The village is home to the Karbi tribe, whose main source of income is farming, poultry and daily-wage labour. "We have a number of problems but no one cares. The MLAs visit our area before elections but our plight remains unaddressed. We lack all basic facilities - from proper drinking water to education," said Dhiren Teron, a villager.
The drinking water crisis has also been a major worry for people living in the heart of the city.
While citizens suffer because of a lack of attention and action, the political battleground is set for the fight.
The contest, it is thought, will mainly be between AGP candidate Ramendra Narayan Kalita and Congress newcomer Jury Sharma Bordoloi.
Congress is putting its weight behind first-timer Jury Sharma Bordoloi, who has come up with an individual manifesto for development. On the other hand, four-time winner Ramendra Narayan Kalita from AGP had lost relevance in the constituency some time ago, but has regained support after his party formed an alliance with BJP. Kalita might have the advantage of the anti-incumbency factor.
Former Congressman Hemanta Talukdar is in the fray as well, contesting as an Independent candidate after he was denied a ticket by the party. Talukdar is the sitting MLA and enjoys a strong following in his constituency. Many in the constituency feel Talukdar will not live up to the expectation though.
Both Talukdar and Kalita are confident of victory. Talukdar feels he has 'enough' followers and Kalita has declared he will win with a 'record' number of votes.