From Himanta Biswa Sarma to Gaurav Gogoi, key players to watch in Assam polls

Assam’s upcoming Assembly election is expected to centre around a high-stakes contest between Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma and state Congress president Gaurav Gogoi, as the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) seeks a third consecutive term while the Congress attempts to return to power.

Sarma remains one of the most influential figures in the state’s electoral politics. Widely regarded as a key strategist in several Assembly elections since 2006, he played a crucial role in the BJP’s rise in the North East after joining the party in 2015. The BJP secured its first government in Assam in 2016 and retained power in 2021, when Sarma took over as chief minister.

Sarma has represented the Jalukbari constituency since 2001 and is aiming for a sixth straight term. His first attempt in the seat in 1996 ended in defeat to late Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) leader Bhrigu Kumar Phukan by around 17,000 votes. He won the seat in 2001 by a margin of about 10,000 votes and has since expanded his winning margins, recording a victory margin of over 1.01 lakh votes in the 2021 election.

The Congress has projected Gaurav Gogoi, deputy leader of the party in the Lok Sabha, as its chief ministerial candidate. Gogoi will contest the Assembly election for the first time from the Jorhat constituency. The seat has previously been represented for five terms by veteran politician Hitendra Nath Goswami, including three consecutive victories from 1991 as an AGP candidate and two wins since 2016.

Gogoi’s victory in the Jorhat Lok Sabha constituency in the 2024 parliamentary election, despite an aggressive campaign by the BJP, strengthened the Congress organisation in the state. The party subsequently appointed him state unit president ahead of the Assembly polls, even as Sarma levelled allegations of “Pakistan links” against Gogoi and his wife.

Apart from the two main contenders, several other leaders are expected to play important roles in the election.

Leader of the Opposition Debabrata Saikia will contest from Nazira, a constituency associated with his family. His father, former chief minister Hiteswar Saikia, and his mother, former minister Hemoprava Saikia, both represented the seat earlier. Debabrata Saikia has held the constituency since 2011 and is seeking a fourth consecutive term after winning the last election by fewer than 500 votes.

Assembly Speaker Biswajit Daimary, who represents Panery as a BJP candidate, previously served as a Rajya Sabha member and was associated with the Bodoland People’s Front before joining the BJP in November 2020. He won the seat in the last Assembly election.

Former Congress state president Ripun Bora, a former Rajya Sabha member and cabinet minister in the government led by Tarun Gogoi, will contest from Barchalla. Bora had earlier represented Gohpur twice, in 2001 and 2006.

Finance minister Ajanta Neog, the first woman to hold the portfolio in Assam, has represented the Golaghat constituency for five consecutive terms since 2001. A former Congress leader who served in Tarun Gogoi’s cabinet, she joined the BJP in 2020 and became finance minister in the Sarma government in 2021.

Atul Bora, president of the AGP and a minister in the BJP-led coalition government, currently represents Bokakhat and handles the agriculture, horticulture and food processing, and animal husbandry and veterinary departments. He was earlier a student leader with the All Assam Students’ Union during the anti-foreigners’ agitation and served as a minister in the AGP government led by Prafulla Kumar Mahanta between 1996 and 2001.

Another AGP leader in the state cabinet, Keshab Mahanta, has represented Kaliabor since 2006. A former Lok Sabha member elected in 1996, he currently oversees the revenue, science and technology, and information technology departments.

Among emerging political figures, Akhil Gogoi, president of the Raijor Dal formed after protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act in 2020, won the Sivasagar seat in the 2021 election as an independent candidate while he was in jail on sedition charges linked to the protests.

All India United Democratic Front (AIUDF) leader Aminul Islam, a three-term MLA, has represented Dhing since 2011 but has been fielded from Rupahihat for the upcoming polls. Islam was arrested on April 24 last year following remarks related to the Pahalgam terror attack and was later detained under the National Security Act. The Gauhati High Court quashed the charges in November, leading to his release.

The election is expected to feature several high-profile contests across constituencies, with both the BJP-led alliance and the Congress focusing on key leaders to shape the outcome of the polls.