Kamal Ghorui
NEW DELHI: The high-stakes Assam battle now heads to results day on May 4, with counting set to determine the fate of all 126 assembly seats. The BJP is aiming to retain power for a third consecutive term under incumbent chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, who remains the party’s central face in the state.Once a Congress bastion, Assam now sees the party in the opposition, attempting a comeback with Gaurav Gogoi, son of former chief minister Tarun Gogoi, led its counter on the ground.Exit polls have largely projected a clear edge for the incumbent BJP, placing the Congress in a more vulnerable position. Several high-profile constituencies have kept the contest tightly watched despite polling having ended.In Jalukbari, Himanta Biswa Sarma contested from his traditional stronghold, facing Congress candidate Bidisha Neog. The seat carries symbolic weight, given Sarma’s past association with the Congress.
Gaurav Gogoi entered the fray from Jorhat, marking a major move from national to state politics. The BJP fielded Hitendra Nath Goswami to counter him in what remains one of the most closely tracked contests.Nazira saw Congress leader Debabrata Saikia defending his family bastion against BJP’s Mayur Borgohain, while in Barchalla, senior Congress figure Ripun Bora took on BJP’s Ganesh Kumar Limbu.Golaghat also witnessed a fierce contest, with BJP’s Ajanta Neog—once a Congress leader and now a minister in the Sarma cabinet—facing Congress candidate Bitupan Saikia.Since the end of the Congress era under Tarun Gogoi, the BJP has steadily expanded its footprint in the state. The saffron party’s rise began under Sarbananda Sonowal and has been further consolidated under Himanta Biswa Sarma, who now awaits the electorate’s verdict on whether that dominance will continue.
