From 21 cases to Rs 1.75 lakh assets: What Akhil Gogoi’s poll affidavit reveals

Raijor Dal president and MLA Akhil Gogoi has declared 21 pending criminal cases against him in his election affidavit filed on March 20, though he has not been convicted in any of them.

Gogoi, who is seeking re-election from the Sibsagar constituency in the upcoming Assam Assembly polls, stated that he does not own any immovable property — unchanged from the details furnished in his 2021 affidavit.

According to the affidavit submitted along with his nomination papers, Gogoi possesses movable assets worth over Rs 1.75 lakh. He has no liabilities in the form of government dues or loans from banks or financial institutions. However, he has taken a personal loan of Rs 50,000 from his wife.

The affidavit shows that he has Rs 1.30 lakh as cash in hand, shares worth Rs 10,000 in Kaziranga Jatiyo Orchid Aru Jooiba Boichitra Udyan Samabai Samiti Ltd — an orchid park near Kaziranga National Park — and bank deposits of approximately Rs 35,000. In 2021, Gogoi had declared no cash in hand and bank deposits of Rs 60,497.

The MLA faces charges including criminal conspiracy, inciting violence, abetment of waging war, abetment of suicide, rioting and criminal trespass, among others.

His wife, Gitashree Tamuly, an associate professor at a Guwahati college, has declared movable assets worth around Rs 28.98 lakh and immovable property valued at Rs 78 lakh. She also has an outstanding bank loan of over Rs 4.54 lakh.

Gogoi’s total income for 2024–25 was declared at Rs 12.27 lakh, while his wife’s income stood at Rs 35.73 lakh. In his latest affidavit, he listed his profession as MLA with “salaried” as his source of income. In 2021, he had described himself as a party whole-timer with no income.

A graduate in arts from Cotton College, Guwahati, Gogoi is seeking a second term in the Assembly.