Panchayat polls: AJP’s manifesto focuses on rural self-reliance & panchayat empowerment

Guwahati, Apr 24:  The Assam Jatiya Parishad (AJP) has released its manifesto for the upcoming panchayat elections, pledging sweeping reforms to strengthen the Panchayati Raj institutions and promote self-reliance among the rural populace.

Speaking at the manifesto launch at a hotel in Dibrugarh on Wednesday, AJP president Lurinjyoti Gogoi said the party’s core aim is to empower rural communities, not merely create beneficiaries.

Flanked by party general secretary Jagdish Bhuyan and other senior leaders, Gogoi said the AJP seeks to devolve maximum powers to grassroots institutions to ensure holistic development.

“We want to make people producers, not dependents. Every household must be engaged in income-generating activities. Our model of governance will ensure planning, budgeting and implementation of development schemes are driven from the grassroots,” he said, underscoring the party’s slogan of ghore ghore uparjon (income in every home).

The manifesto lays out the AJP’s vision for local governance if voted to power, focusing on self-reliance, natural resource utilisation, and community-led development.

Key sectors identified include agriculture, education, infrastructure, environment, local languages, culture and folklore, and the development of village markets.

Reiterating the party’s commitment to rural participation, Gogoi said that local residents will be actively involved in decision-making, planning, and execution of projects to ensure transparency and efficacy.

The AJP has fielded four candidates for the Zila Parishad seats in Naharani, Lengeri, Joypur and Dinjoy constituencies. In addition, 18 candidates will contest for Anchalik Panchayat seats and 140 for ward member positions in the district.

Interestingly, though the AJP and Congress are not alliance partners in this election, both share a common rural development plank.

The Congress, in its manifesto, has also pledged to revitalise Assam’s rural economy through decentralisation, increased support for self-help groups, and expanded focus on agriculture, horticulture, pisciculture, animal husbandry and micro-industries.

Congress leader Debabrata Saikia recently reiterated the party’s promise to empower panchayats and promote sustainable livelihoods through a restructured rural development model.

With both regional and national parties pitching development-centric manifestos, the Panchayat polls are shaping up to be a contest of competing rural visions aimed at transforming state’s hinterland.