HT Correspondent
DIBRUGARH, Jan 9: Various organisations of the Sonowal Kachari community on Friday staged a sit-in demonstration at Chowkidinghee in Dibrugarh, protesting the delay in holding elections to the Sonowal Kachari Autonomous Council.
Raising slogans of “No election, no BJP”, the agitators said the protest has assumed special significance as it is being held in the home district of former chief minister Sarbananda Sonowal.
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The protest was jointly spearheaded by the All Assam Sonowal Kachari Students’ Union (AASKSU), the Sonowal Kachari Youth Council (SKYC) and members of the Sonowal Kachari community.
Leaders of the organisations alleged that the state government has failed to fulfil its commitments regarding the conduct of the autonomous council elections.
They pointed out that as per official notifications, the elections were scheduled to be held in 2024 but were later deferred to February 2025. Despite repeated assurances, the elections have not been conducted so far.
The protesters further stated that on November 10, 2025, the Election Commission of India had published the draft electoral roll for the council and invited objections.
Subsequently, on November 28, the Additional Chief Secretary of the state’s Plains Tribal Welfare Department notified the delimitation of 32 constituencies of the council.
Despite these formal steps, the elections are yet to be held, raising what the agitators described as serious doubts and unanswered questions.
Expressing strong resentment, the protesters warned that if the Sonowal Kachari Autonomous Council elections are not conducted by January, they will not allow the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to campaign in Sonowal Kachari–dominated areas during the election period.
They also cautioned that the agitation would be intensified if the government continues to delay what they described as the democratic process.
The protesters reiterated that timely elections to the autonomous council are a constitutional and democratic right of the Sonowal Kachari community and demanded immediate action from the state government to restore trust and transparency.
