[ Pisi Zauing ]
BORDUMSA, 9 Dec: The 14/01 Bordumsa zilla parishad (ZP) seat in Changlang district has suddenly turned into one of the most electrifying battlegrounds as the Bharatiya Janata Party [BJP] candidate Thingnong Umbu locks horn with the Nationalist Congress Party [NCP] nominee Mualin Agan in a contest that is rapidly transforming into a referendum on governance, identity, and development.
What initially looked like a simple two-cornered fight has now exploded into a deeply emotional political spectacle that could potentially redraw political equations.
With less than a week left for voting in the panchayat elections, both camps are operating in a near-war mode. Campaigning has heated up, grassroots mobilisation is now fierce, and the fight for every booth has turned critical. Sources say that Bordumsa has become a “prestige battle,” not just for the local leaders but also for both the state units of the BJP and the NCP.
The demographic arithmetic here gives extraordinary significance to the outcome. The Adivasi and Singpho communities together account for more than 60 percent of the 7,712 registered voters, making their voting preference the ultimate deciding factor.
This constituency has historically swung based on community sentiment, and once again identity and representation politics are visible beneath the surface. Every major leader campaigning in favour of their party knows this demographic reality well, which is why every word, every promise, and even every symbolic gesture is being watched closely.
BJP candidate Thingnong Umbu has aggressively positioned himself as the torchbearer of Narendra Modi’s narrative of double-engine sarkar. He is not just promising development; he is accusing his counterpart of trying to push the constituency to darkness.
Umbu has become the face of a new political confidence among younger electors, particularly first-time voters, who want more than slogans.
From roads that resemble riverbeds, to schools that are barely functioning, and water supply that remains erratic, Umbu is bluntly saying that Bordumsa has suffered from negligence meted out by the NCP leadership.
“Give BJP a chance and watch Bordumsa transform,” he said.
For Umbu and for the BJP, this seat is not merely about local governance; it is about breaking the trend of underperformance in this segment. A win here could be showcased as proof that even old electoral patterns can shift under the BJP’s governance model.
On the other side, NCP’s Mualin Agan has emerged surprisingly strong, riding on growing voter frustration with unfulfilled promises. He is openly accusing the BJP of “promising development everywhere but delivering selectively.” Agan’s campaign is rooted in local grievances, community involvement, and a promise to be a grassroots leader who will speak for Bordumsa instead of just “being a part of a machine.”
His campaign line, ‘Vote for a voice, not a slogan’, is catching fire among young and politically impatient villagers.
Political analysts are now calling this contest a potential “political thermometer” for the future electoral politics. If the BJP wins this panchayat seat, it would be seen as a breakthrough. If the NCP wins, the message will be equally loud that regional voices and local anger still matter and cannot be bulldozed by national narratives.
The stakes are far bigger than one zilla parishad seat. It is about political messaging. It is about control over Bordumsa. It is about whether narrative wins, or ground reality does.
As the campaigning enters its final stage, the atmosphere is electrifying. Every speech is trying to be strategic, every door-knock could change a vote, and every moment seems crucial.
Will the BJP finally break its longstanding jinx in Bordumsa, or will NCP’s grassroots force write a political upset? It remains to be seen.
The answer will echo far beyond the panchayat election count.
