GUWAHATI: During the initial phase of polling for the Lok Sabha elections on April 19, the family of the late Ron Bahadur Thapa, residing in Phuloguri Nepali Paam in Assam's Sonitpur district, stands out as one of the largest participating families in Assam.
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According to reports, falling under the jurisdiction of the Rangapara assembly constituency and the Sonitpur parliamentary segment, all members of this extensive family are set to exercise their voting rights in the Sonitpur Lok Sabha constituency on the aforementioned date.
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Ron Bahadur Thapa, who left behind 12 sons and 9 daughters upon his demise, had a remarkable family of nearly 1200 members, with around 350 members eligible to vote in the upcoming Lok Sabha polls, as per reports. Additionally, his legacy includes more than 150 grandchildren. Notably, the Phuloguri Nepali Paam area in the Sonitpur parliamentary constituency is home to approximately 300 families tracing their lineage to the same ancestor.
Til Bahadur Thapa, the village headman of Nepali Paam village and one of Ron Bahadur's sons confirmed that approximately 350 individuals within their extended family are eligible voters.
"My father came here along with my grandfather in 1964 and settled down in the state. My father had five wives and we have 12 brothers and 9 sisters. He had 56 grandchildren by his sons. I don't know the grandchildren from the daughter's side. In this election, there are nearly 350 members of the Thapa family in Nepali Paam who are eligible to cast their votes. If we count all children, then the total members of our family will be more than 1,200," Til Bahadur Thapa said while talking to the media.
He, however then also said that the family hasn't yet been able to avail the benefits of the welfare schemes of the state and the central governments.
"Our children received higher education but did not get any government jobs. A few members of our family went to Bengaluru and found private jobs. Some are working as daily wage labourers. I have been working as a village pradhan since 1989. I have 8 sons and 3 daughters," Til Bahadur said.
He added that his father raised 12 sons and 9 daughters. Sarki Bahadur Thapa, another son of the late Ron Bahadur, told the media that there are around 1200 members in the family.
"We have a big family of which there are around 350 members, who are eligible to cast their votes," Sarki Bahadur Thapa said.
According to the family members, Ron Bahadur died in 1997, leaving behind his big, fat family.
Sarki Bahadur Thapa, now 64, has three wives and 12 children.
There are in excess of 16.25 lakh voters in the Sonitpur Lok Sabha seat, which is made up of 9 assembly segments.
Elections to the 14 Lok Sabha constituencies in Assam will take place in three phases--on April 19, April 26, and May 7.
