The fastest way to reach South Salmara in Mankachar district of Assam is by crossing the Brahmaputra on a motorised boat. The journey takes about two hours.
In 2012, during one such journey on a stormy April evening, a boat capsized, killing almost 100 people. But it’s not the boat journey that the locals here fear, it’s the loss of their land. The Brahmaputra has washed away thousands of acres over the years, displacing the people living in those villages.
The roads in South Salmara are impossible to drive on. Not just villagers, even the incumbent MLA Abdur Rahman Ajmal has to depend on bikes for campaigning. On being asked about the lack of development, he says an opposition MLA can’t do much.
The Congress candidate and former MLA Wajid Ali Choudhury has been aggressively highlighting the issue of lack of development. Perhaps sensing the mood of the voters, AIUDF has fielded Badruddin Ajmal himself from here. This time It may not be a smooth ride for the AIUDF in their stronghold.
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