Mising, Sonowal Kachari council polls: Dry days in 11 Assam districts

The Assam Excise Department has declared dry days in 11 districts for the Mising Autonomous Council (MAC) and Sonowal Kachari Autonomous Council (SKAC) elections, The Shillong Times reported on Tuesday.

Which districts

The order covers Biswanath, Charaideo, Dhemaji, Dibrugarh, Golaghat, Jorhat, Lakhimpur, Majuli, Sivasagar, Sonitpur and Tinsukia, the upper and north bank districts where the two councils' constituencies lie.

Dates

• From 48 hours before polling, that is from November 28, until polling ends on November 30
• December 1, in case re-polling is needed
• December 3, the day votes are counted, until counting is complete

What is shut

The order, issued by the department's Commissioner and Secretary, bans the sale, distribution and consumption of liquor and other intoxicants during these periods. Wholesale liquor warehouses, retail "off" and "on" shops selling Indian-made foreign liquor, bars attached to clubs and hotels, and country liquor shops must stay closed.

The ban also applies to hotels, restaurants and all other public and private places. Storing liquor at unauthorised premises is restricted, and the department has warned of action under the Assam Excise Act and Rules for violations.

The order invokes Section 135C of the Representation of the People Act, 1951, which provides for closing liquor shops around polling, and Rule 326(A) of the Assam Excise Rules, 2016.

About the polls

The State Election Commission will hold elections to the 40 constituencies of the Mising Autonomous Council and the 32 constituencies of the Sonowal Kachari Autonomous Council on November 30, with any re-polling on December 1 and counting on December 3. The polls are not being fought on party symbols, and Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma has said the state BJP will stay neutral.

The SKAC has 337 polling stations and about 1.64 lakh registered voters, according to the commission's notification. Nominations for the councils closed on November 10, with scrutiny due on November 12 and the last date for withdrawal on November 16, when the final list of candidates will be published.

Both councils were set up to protect the political, economic and land rights of the Mising and Sonowal Kachari communities in upper Assam. Elections to the SKAC follow protests by the All Assam Sonowal Kachari Students' Union over delays after the council's five-year term ended.

Residents and businesses in the 11 districts, including hotels and restaurants with bar licences, should plan for the closures. NEInsider will report on the candidate lists and the results.