Tezpur candidate's nomination rejected

Laxmi Orang's hopes of contesting the forthcoming Lok Sabha elections were dashed on Tuesday, when the returning officer in Tezpur, Assam declared her nomination papers invalid as she is underage.

Orang had hit the headlines in November 2007, when she was assaulted and stripped in public in Beltola area in Guwahati, while participating in a rally organised by the Adivasi Students Association of Assam.

Orang had rejected the placatory offers made by the state Congress government, who had offered her money and even a job for her brother. She wanted to contest the election from Tezpur, on a ticket from the Assam United Democratic Front, so that she gets a chance to represent her community in the Parliament.

Unfortunately, her nomination was rejected by the returning officer after she was found to be just 19 years old.

"Orang had presented an age certificate, issued by a local high school, which mentioned her year of birth as 1983. But it had not been endorsed by the inspector of the school. The electoral rolls, on the other hand, mentioned her age as 19 years," informed an official.

The AUDF leadership has decided to field her father Deba Orang instead. Undeterred by the setback, Orang has vowed to devote all her time in campaigning for her father.