Assam: Village In Kokrajhar Protests With Slogan ‘No Electricity, No Vote’

In a stark reminder of the development gaps that persist in remote pockets, residents of Garumarachar village inAssam's Kokrajhar district along the Assam–West Bengalborder have launched a protest demanding electricity, raising the slogan “No Electricity, No Vote” ahead of the upcoming elections.

According to sources, Men and women from the village, located in the three-numbered council constituency of Kokrajhar district under the Bodoland Territorial Region (BTR), took to the streets holding placards and voicing their frustration. Their demand is clear: power supply must reach their homes before polling day, or they will boycott the electoral process.

Despite repeated claims at the national level that every Indian village has been electrified, Garumararsar continues to live in darkness decades after Independence. For the villagers, development remains a distant promise.

With no grid connection, families depend on hurricane lanterns and kerosene lamps after sunset. Students study under dim, flickering light, struggling to keep pace with a world powered by electricity. A few households have managed to install small solar panels at their own expense, but these offer only limited relief.

Residents say they have repeatedly appealed to authorities for electricity connections, but little progress has been made. The village falls under the Gosaigaon electricity zone, and locals now want immediate intervention from both the state government and the concerned department.

During the protest, villagers gathered to pass a resolution reiterating their demand for basic infrastructure. They argue that access to electricity is not a luxury but a fundamental necessity for education, healthcare, livelihood and safety.

As the election season approaches, the spotlight has turned to Garumararsar. Whether the authorities act swiftly to address the long-pending demand for electrification may well determine voter sentiment in this remote border village.

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