LS polls: Welfare of Jarawa tribes key issue in Andaman
LS polls: Welfare of Jarawa tribes key issue in Andaman
The conflict between commercial activities and welfare of Jarawa tribes is one of the key poll issues in Andaman and Nicobar Islands which is witnessing a fierce fight among five major parties, including debutant AAP, for this lone Lok Sabha seat going to polls on Thursday.

The conflict between commercial activities and welfare of Jarawa tribes is one of the key poll issues in Andaman and Nicobar Islands which is witnessing a fierce fight among five major parties, including debutant AAP, for this lone Lok Sabha seat going to polls on Thursday.

The issue remains so critical that parties like Congress and BJP have promised removal of Buffer Zone notification to give a boost to tourism activities in the islands.

The notification bans all sorts of commercial activities in the demarcated areas around the Jarawa Tribal Reserve area. About a year ago, the administration even closed the Andaman Trunk Road which connects the North and Middle parts of the islands with capital Port Blair following the directions of Supreme Court.

But in light of persistent demands by political parties and islanders, the administration moved court for a relaxation to open the road for public use till the completion of an alternative sea route, but with stricter restrictions to protect the Jarawa tribals.

Andaman and Nicobar Islands have been strong hold of Congress, which has won all the polls since 1977 but for two elections when BJP managed to beat it in 1999 and 2009. Out of a total population of 3.79 lakh in the islands, there are 2.67 lakh voters.

Sitting MP and BJP candidate Bishnu Pada Ray, who defeated his Congress rival Kuldeep Rai Sharma in 2009 by a margin of just 2,900 votes, had relied heavily on support in the Bengali-majority areas of North and Middle Andaman districts up to Diglipur.

Most of the voters from the Bengali settler community in Andaman are believed to be supporters of former Congress MP Manoranjan Bhakta. But Ray managed to get more Bengali votes in North and Middle Andaman in the last elections after Bhakta started an anti-Congress campaign when the party denied him a poll ticket.

This time, Trinamool Congress is looking to cash in on Bhakta's support base and has fielded his daughter Anita Mondal as its candidate in Andaman.

Political observers are of the view that her father's stature among Bengali settlers in Andaman will win her quite a few votes which may cause a split in the BJP vote-bank.

But Congress' Sharma, whom the party has fielded this time as well, has more worries to deal with following the entry of AAP into the contest, whose candidate Sanjai Mashack is a former Congress leader.

Compounding the calculations for Congress is the Tamil candidate put by NCP -- Uma Bharathy. She is eyeing the support of the considerable number of Tamil settlers in South Andaman. That may go against Congress after the party made efforts to project itself as a supporter of the interests of Tamils.

A total of 15 candidates have registered for the contest for the Andaman Lok Sabha seat, including BSP, CPI(M), CPI(ML), Samajwadi Party and Forward Bloc. Among other promises by parties, BJP and Congress claim they would control the influx of people by bringing in an inner-line permit system, reduce air fares for the islanders, provide free medical treatment on the mainland for poor people from the island and ensure more employment avenues for island youths.

While Congress has promised exclusive reservation for islanders in government jobs, BJP has said it would establish a separate public service commission for the Union Territory to reserve 100 per cent posts in Group C and D jobs for locals.

In its election manifesto, AAP has promised a corruption- free administration and formation of Lokayuktas, besides improvement of logistics and communication facilities in this difficult region along with the development of tourism and fisheries.

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