Her elder brother has been leading a violent armed revolution against the State demanding the restoration of sovereignty of Assam and is one of the most wanted insurgent leaders in the country.
But that has not deterred Heeravati Chetia, the younger sister of the fugitive United Liberation Front of Asom commander-in-chief Paresh Baruah, to contest the just held election to panchayat bodies in Assam and win it with a thumping margin.
She contested the Baruahola Panchayat body in Tinsukia's Chabua as a candidate of the Opposition Asom Gana Parishad and defeated her nearest Congress rival Manjula Barua with a big margin. The particular panchayat had been under Congress clutch for a long time. Meanwhile, the ruling Congress dominated the Panchayat elections in Assam by winning a majority of seats in almost all the districts, leavings it arch rivals the AGP and the BJP far behind. However, the party has won at least 20 per cent seats less than the previous round of panchayat polls held six years back. The only consolation for the opposition camp is that the AGP has improved its tally and increased its share of votes compared to the last round of panchayat elections. The BJP has managed to improve its performance in some Eastern Assam pockets.
