Key faces in Assam polls: CM Sarma, Gaurav Gogoi & other heavyweights

Guwahati, Mar 15: All eyes will be on Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma and his challenger Gaurav Gogoi in the upcoming Assam Legislative Assembly elections, as the Bharatiya Janata Party aims for a third consecutive term while the Indian National Congress seeks to unseat the ruling party.

Himanta Biswa Sarma

Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma has been a key strategist in several Assembly elections since 2006. After joining the Bharatiya Janata Party from the Indian National Congress in 2015, he was widely credited as the architect of the party’s first major electoral success in the Northeast. The BJP returned to power again in 2021, when Sarma took over as Chief Minister.

Sarma has represented the Jalukbari constituency since 2001 and is seeking his sixth consecutive term in the upcoming polls. He first contested the seat in 1996 but lost to veteran AGP leader Bhrigu Kumar Phukan by around 17,000 votes. Sarma later wrested the seat from him in 2001 with a margin of about 10,000 votes.

Since then, his winning margins have steadily increased, culminating in a record victory margin of over 1.01 lakh votes in 2021.

Gaurav Gogoi

Deputy leader of the Congress in the Lok Sabha, Gaurav Gogoi will make his first bid for the state assembly, contesting from the Jorhat seat after the Congress projected him as its chief ministerial face.

The constituency was previously represented by veteran politician Hitendra Nath Goswami for five terms — three times consecutively since 1991 as an AGP candidate and twice since 2016.

Gogoi’s victory in the Jorhat Lok Sabha constituency in 2024, despite the BJP deploying its full campaign machinery, boosted Congress morale ahead of the Assembly polls. The party further signalled its confidence in him by appointing him as state president despite allegations by Sarma regarding alleged “Pakistan links” involving Gogoi and his wife.

Debabrata Saikia

Leader of the Opposition Debabrata Saikia will contest from his family stronghold of Nazira. The seat was earlier represented by his father and former Chief Minister Hiteswar Saikia and his mother, former minister Hemoprava Saikia.

Saikia has represented the constituency since 2011 and is seeking a fourth consecutive term, though he won the last election by a narrow margin of fewer than 500 votes.

A file image of Debabrata Saikia 

Biswajit Daimary

Outgoing Assembly Speaker Biswajit Daimary represents the Panery constituency as a BJP candidate. A former member of the Rajya Sabha, Daimary previously belonged to the Bodoland People's Front and served as an MLA from 2001 to 2006 and again from 2014 to 2020. He joined the BJP in November 2020 and won the 2021 Assembly election.

A file image of Biswajit Daimary

Ripun Bora

Former Rajya Sabha member and former Congress state president Ripun Bora had represented the Gohpur constituency twice in 2001 and 2006. He also served as a cabinet minister in the government led by Tarun Gogoi.

Bora will contest from the Barchalla constituency in the upcoming polls.

A file image of Ripun Bora

Ajanta Neog

Ajanta Neog, Assam’s first woman finance minister, holds the distinction of being the longest-serving female legislator in the state, having represented the Golaghat constituency for five consecutive terms since 2001.

She earlier served as a minister in two Congress governments led by Tarun Gogoi before joining the BJP in 2020. She was later appointed Finance Minister in the Sarma cabinet in 2021.

A file image of State Finance Minister Ajanta Neog

Atul Bora

Atul Bora, president of the Asom Gana Parishad, is a key ally in the BJP-led NDA government in Assam. Currently serving as minister for agriculture, horticulture and food processing, animal husbandry and veterinary, Bora earlier represented the Golaghat constituency between 1996 and 2001.

He shifted to Bokakhat in 2016 and has won from the constituency twice since then. Bora was also a minister in the AGP government led by Prafulla Kumar Mahanta from 1996 to 2001.

A file image of AGP Chief Atul Bora

Keshab Mahanta

Keshab Mahanta, working president of the AGP, has been representing the Kaliabor constituency since 2006. He previously served as a Member of Parliament in the Lok Sabha from 1996 to 1998.

Mahanta currently holds the portfolios of revenue, science and technology, and information technology in the Sarma cabinet.

A file image of Minister Keshab Mahanta

Akhil Gogoi

Akhil Gogoi, president of the Raijor Dal, founded the party in 2020 following protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act.

He won the Sivasagar Assembly seat as an independent candidate in the 2021 election while he was in jail on sedition charges linked to the protests.

A file image of Raijor Dal chief Akhil Gogoi

PTI