Panchayat polls: Political parties urge migrant workers to return, set to play a decisive role

Alipurduar: In the tea belt booths of Alipurduar, all political parties are making desperate efforts to bring back migrant workers for the polling day.

In these booths of the district, approximately 5 per cent of the voters are migrant labourers.

All political parties are currently vying for control over 64 Gram Panchayats, 6 Panchayat Samitis, and 1 Zilla Parishad in Alipurduar district for the upcoming Panchayat polls.

A large chunk of these areas comprises 64 tea gardens and several forest villages in the district. The primary objective for each political party now is to secure the votes of the residents from these tea gardens. However, a portion of the voters from these tea estates have migrated to other states for work.

All political parties have obtained the voter list and have been actively contacting the families of migrant workers from tea plantations in other states, urging them to return home. These efforts have involved various means of communication, including personal contact and phone calls.

Birendra Bara Oraon, President of the Tea Garden Workers’ Union of Trinamool Congress (T.C.B.S.U), stated: “Alipurduar district has 64 tea gardens with a population of approximately 300,000. Among them, 150,000 voters will participate in the upcoming Panchayat polls. Around 5% of the voters from these tea gardens have migrated to other states for work. During our election campaign, our candidates and party workers are focusing on persuading them to return on polling day to cast their votes. We have convinced their families and even communicated with them. The workers have assured us that they will return for the elections.”

Bisal Lama, MLA of Kalchini and a BJP leader added: “As I come from a tea garden background, I am aware that every family has at least one member working in a different state. These individuals are also voters. We visit each family and persuade them to come back for the elections. However, it is challenging for them to return home for a few days and then go back to work, considering the expenses involved. Nevertheless, the 5% vote can be a decisive factor in these Panchayat Elections.”