Dynastic politics raises head in N-E

Mother of three, the youngest an infant, Dr Mahanta has come a long way from writing children’s books to conducting research on frogs before jumping into electoral politics. Inclusion of her name in the AGP list, replacing three-time MP andUnion Minister of State for Human Resource Development Muhiram Saikia, has raised eyebrows both within and outside the party.

On the other hand, things are relatively easier for Omak Apang, son of the country’s second longest serving Chief Minister Gegong Apang. A business management degree holder from Slovenia, the 27-year-old youth is pitted against heavy weights like Tomo Riba in the Arunachal West Lok Sabha seat.

He is contesting on an Arunachal Congress ticket. The party was founded by his father who dumped the Congress in 1996.

Incidentally, both the chief ministers have categorically said they had nothing to do with the selection of their family members as party candidates.

“The district committee of Nagaon besides the party workers from each of the Assembly segments wanted her,” Mahanta said while releasing the list of the Asom Gana Parishad candidates amid accusations of being involved in the letter of credit scndal. Mahanta in fact stayed away when his wife filed her papers. Apang toospoke in similar vein.

Dr Mahanta has already hit the campaign trail making the Nagaon seat a prestige issue for the ruling AGP and more importantly for her husband who won two of the Assembly constituencies falling under Nagaon Sadar seat. For Gegong Apang’s son the going so far has been smooth as the opposition in the state is in a shambles and the party won from both the constituencies with a handsome margin last time. Denied the ticket, former Assam chief minister Tomo Riba has joined the Bharatiya Janata Party to taste another round of electoral battle against Omak turning the contest interesting.