SIVASAGAR, March 22 - The contest between former AASU leader and Minister of State for PWD and Power Topon Kumar Gogoi from Sonari and former NSUI national treasurer and INC MLA from Thowra Sushanta Borgohain in the six Assembly segments, namely Sivasagar, Thowra, Nazira, Sonari, Amguri and Mahmora of 12 Jorhat parliamentary seat will be very keen considering the clout the candidates enjoy among the electorate.
Topon Kumar Gogoi with his strong link with the AASU, cash-rich party backing, organisational strength and Modi charisma is still palpable among the fringe-level voters who will make his presence felt in all the Assembly segments despite being a novice in RSS politics.
Sushanta Borgohain, on the other hand, has a strong party backing plus his experience in active politics, will try to cash in on the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill issue to woo the voters.
Though three of the six Assembly segments had gone to BJP during the last Assembly election, with a big slice of tea tribe votes, Topon will need more than mere a helping hand from the last MP Kamakhya Prasad Tasa in campaigning in the TE areas.
Kicking off campaigning in Demow and Thowra, Sushanta on Wednesday said that the people of Assam will resist the BJP with all their might for promising to bring in the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill in the next Parliament session.
On the other hand, the Congress with its 134-year-old history can deliver justice to the people as no other party can, Sushanta reiterated.
Topon Gogoi, who kept mum over the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, will have to pay the price provided the electorate rejects him outright in the election.
Debabrata Saikia, leader of the Opposition, will be a great support for Sushanta in Nazira, but the sitting MLA Pronob Gogoi will have negligible influence over the electoral outcome, it is learnt.
Meanwhile, Topon Kumar Gogoi began his election campaign in the district a little late and addressed two meetings at Demow and claimed that the Congress will be routed in all the Assembly segments of 12 Jorhat Parliamentary Constituency.
He was accorded a rousing welcome by the BJP, AGP workers and leaders, including Thowra MLA Kushal Duwori, Dipika Duwori, Bijit Gogoi and Bhaben Mohan. He said the BJP under
Modi�s able leadership has steered the country to the path of progress and people of all categories from landless to the needy students have benefited in India, except the corrupt. They will, he claimed, continue to support the party and there is no doubt about it.
The CPI has in the meantime fielded young Marxist leader and politburo member Kanak Gogoi as a candidate from the constituency. Gogoi, with a solid base in the district since comrade Promod Gogoi�s days is bound to garner a sizeable percentage of votes.
Forward Block has fielded veteran socialist leader Raj Kumar Duwora, who does not have too many followers in the constituency. Both of them will adversely affect, though in small measure, Topon�s poll prospects more than the INC candidate due to BJP�s alleged Hindutva agenda.
