Tarun Karthick
Sri Vijaya Puram, 02 July 2025
The mantle of leadership of the Bharatiya Janata Party in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands has officially been passed to senior party leader Mr. Anil Tiwari. With this development, Mr. Tiwari takes charge of the BJP’s organisational and political responsibilities across the territory for the next four years. His appointment, while welcomed by party workers and supporters, comes at a critical time when the Islands are grappling with widespread public dissatisfaction and growing restlessness over persistent and unaddressed issues in every corner of the archipelago.
The Andaman and Nicobar Islands, being a Union Territory without a legislative assembly, are governed directly by the Central Government. The BJP being in power at the Centre further intensifies the significance of Mr. Tiwari’s role. In the absence of a local legislature, the State BJP President becomes a key political figure—one who must not only lead the party but also act as the principal voice of the people, conveying ground realities to the national leadership and pushing for timely interventions. Mr. Tiwari now carries the dual responsibility of uniting the party machinery and addressing the mounting discontent that has taken root among islanders.
Across the territory, people in different districts and islands are facing a range of deeply entrenched problems. In South Andaman, electricity has been a chronic issue for years. Frequent and unpredictable power cuts have disrupted daily life and tested the patience of residents. Despite repeated assurances from the administration and long-term infrastructure plans being discussed, there has been little immediate relief. The public sentiment is that while planning for the future is essential, urgent and decisive short-term action is the need of the hour. People are no longer satisfied with verbal assurances or promises of solutions years down the line—they want action that produces results now, and they want to see and feel those results in their everyday lives.
In North and Middle Andaman, the frustration of residents is most prominently reflected in the condition of National Highway-4. The highway, which is supposed to connect Baratang to Diglipur and significantly improve connectivity and development in the region, has been under construction since the foundation stone was laid back in 2017. Despite the passage of eight years, the project remains incomplete, with deadlines being missed and new timelines failing to inspire confidence. Residents are not just disappointed—they are exhausted. The dream that was once projected to them has faded, and what remains is a broken promise. People in these areas are demanding concrete results on the ground, timely completion of the project, and strict monitoring to ensure quality and accountability in execution. For them, the completion of the highway is not just about development—it is about dignity, accessibility, and trust.
In the Nicobar District, each island carries its own distinct set of problems. On Car Nicobar, residents are dealing with frequent shortages of essential commodities such as petrol, diesel, and LPG. These shortages have been recurring and deeply disruptive to daily life. Compounding the problem are infrastructural concerns like the reducing draft of the jetty, which affects the movement of goods and people, and the deteriorating condition of permanent shelters, which remain in need of urgent repairs. These are not new problems—they have been raised repeatedly by the local population, but meaningful action has been elusive.
The challenges in the Nancowry Group of Islands are no less serious. Issues related to healthcare, communication infrastructure, and water supply dominate the concerns of residents. These are fundamental sectors, and their dysfunction has direct and damaging impacts on the lives of the people.
In Great Nicobar, the situation is similarly bleak. Inadequate health facilities continue to plague the island, making access to basic medical care a daily struggle for many. Roads remain in poor condition, and a host of other problems—many of which arise on a day-to-day basis—go unnoticed, unrecorded, and unresolved. The people of these remote islands feel neglected and forgotten.
In addition, there is growing discontent among the youth, primarily due to rising unemployment and the lack of opportunities. Many educated young people feel directionless and abandoned, with no meaningful career prospects available to them locally. This frustration is compounded by the perception of large-scale neglect across various other sections of society, including women, daily wage earners, and marginalised communities, who continue to battle issues that remain unresolved for years. There is a pervasive sense that the Islands are not receiving the attention and urgency they deserve from the authorities, and that the concerns of the people have been repeatedly sidelined.
What is perhaps most striking is that the discontent is not limited to the general public alone. Even elected representatives—those chosen by the people to voice their concerns and work towards solutions—have expressed deep frustration over the lack of progress. They face a chronic shortage of funds, limited or ineffective devolution of powers, and a range of administrative hurdles that make meaningful change difficult to achieve. Their voices too have often gone unheard, leaving them helpless in the face of growing public anger.
In such a scenario, the role of the BJP’s State President becomes all the more crucial. Mr. Anil Tiwari is now expected to not only strengthen the party’s structure and presence in the territory but also act as the key representative of the people’s grievances before the party’s senior leadership at the Centre. He must serve as a direct link between the local population and the top brass of the BJP. With the absence of a state legislature in the Islands, Mr. Tiwari’s role becomes even more significant. He must function as a political anchor, a troubleshooter, and a voice of the people—one who can convey the seriousness of the issues faced by islanders and ensure that the necessary political and administrative will is mobilised to resolve them.
The road ahead is undoubtedly challenging. The problems are deep-rooted, and the people’s patience is wearing thin. The passing of the mantle to Mr. Tiwari represents not just a change in leadership, but also a moment of reckoning. The people of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands are no longer waiting for promises—they are demanding results. Whether the new leadership can rise to the occasion and meet the expectations of a weary and watchful public will define the next chapter of politics in the Islands.
