With eye on Koch-Rajbangshi votes in Assam and WB, Amit Shah to visit ‘Maharaj’

Ananta Rai, who claims to be a descendant of the Koch-Rajbangshi dynasty, is said to have considerable influence among the 18.5 lakh Koch-Rajbangshi voters in Assam and seven districts of West Bengal.

Published on: Feb 10, 2021, 18:22:51 IST

By Utpal Parashar

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Amid increased political activity in poll-bound Assam and West Bengal, Union home minister Amit Shah will arrive in Guwahati on Wednesday night on a ‘private visit’, the Assam unit of the BJP said.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah. (PTI file)

After spending the night at Guwahati, Shah will go to Chirang district in lower Assam on Thursday to meet Ananta Rai who heads a faction of the Greater Cooch Behar Peoples’ Association (GCPA).

Rai, who claims to be a descendant of the Koch-Rajbangshi dynasty that ruled over parts of Assam and West Bengal, was bestowed the title ‘Maharaj’ (King) by GCPA in 1998 and resides in a palatial house at Satipur village in Chirang.

“Amit Shah will arrive at Guwahati around Wednesday midnight. He will leave for Chirang on Thursday on a private visit and return to Delhi later in the day. We have no other information beyond that,” said Assam BJP spokesperson Rupam Goswami.

Terming inclusion of Cooch Behar district in West Bengal as violation of treaty signed on August 28, 1949 between the union government and Maharaja Jagaddipendra Naryan as the Koch-Rajbangshi dynasty, GCPA has been demanding creation of a separate state or autonomous body for their people.

Rai is said to have considerable influence among the 18.5 lakh Koch-Rajbangshi voters in Assam and seven districts of West Bengal including Coch Behar, which has a significant Rajbangshi population that can swing fortunes in the nine assembly seats in the district.

During his visit, Shah will have lunch at Rai’s house on Thursday and is expected to seek the latter’s support for the coming assembly polls in Assam and West Bengal due in April-May. Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal and senior minister Himanta Biswa Sarma are expected to accompany Shah.

“Amit Shah is coming to have a meal at my place and we all are very happy about it. We will serve him a traditional Koch-Rajbangshi meal and discuss politics,” Rai had told journalists on Tuesday.

Security has been tightened in Chirang ahead of Shah’s visit with central forces sanitizing Rai’s residence in Satipur and areas adjoining it. The Union home minister who visited Assam on January 24 and addressed two rallies doesn’t have any other engagement during this visit.

Koch-Rajbangshis are one of the six communities in Assam that are demanding Scheduled Tribe (ST) status. Since the BJP had promised to grant that, discussion on it is also likely during Shah’s meeting with Rai.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Utpal Parashar
A seasoned senior journalist, I have nearly three decades of experience across print, digital, and online platforms, covering political transitions, insurgencies, environmental issues, and development stories in India and Nepal. I am skilled in breaking news, leading editorial teams and launch of newspaper editions. I am adept at leveraging digital trends and social media to expand global reach, with a strong ethical foundation and a reputation for impactful journalism. An alumnus of Asian College of Journalism, I joined Hindustan Times in New Delhi as a trainee reporter in May 1997. Over the years, I have been posted in Dehradun, Kathmandu (Nepal) and Guwahati. Currently, as Senior Assistant Editor at Hindustan Times, I lead a team reporting on India’s northeastern states. My work involves in-depth analysis, and engaging multimedia storytelling across formats, including text, photo, video, and interactive content. I am skilled in producing timely, shareable content, leveraging digital platforms and social media to engage global audiences. Throughout my career with the Hindustan Times, I have led diverse editorial teams, designed capacity-building activities, and supported reporters in developing strong story ideas, ethical reporting practices, digital skills, and fact-checking techniques. As Senior Assistant Editor for Northeast India, I have been responsible for guiding correspondents through complex political, humanitarian, and community-level stories using multimedia formats. Earlier, as Foreign Correspondent in Nepal, I produced extensive reporting during Nepal’s democratic transition and the 2015 earthquake and its aftermath.Read More

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