Three-cornered contest in Jalukbari as Himanta Biswa Sarma seeks sixth term

Guwahati, March 28: In Jalukbari, the central question this election is not just about victory – but whether anyone can significantly dent the dominance of Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, who has turned the seat into one of Assam’s safest over the last two decades.

Only three nominations are there in Jalukbari, the other two being Congress’ Bidisha Neog and independent candidate Dipika Das.

From first defeat to unbroken run

Sarma’s journey in Jalukbari began with a loss in 1996 to Bhrigu Kumar Phukan. Since then, each election has only strengthened his hold, be it his three elections as a Congressman or the last two stints with BJP.

• 2001: Won by 10,019 votes

• 2006: Margin rose to over 42,000

• 2011: 77,403 votes’ margin

• 2016: Margin of over 85,000

• 2021: A massive 1,01,911 votes margin

The arc is clear – what began as a competitive seat has become a fortress. Interestingly, Sarma himself was once the challenger trying to unseat a dominant leader, Assam Movement stalwart Bhrigu Phukan, who held the seat for three consecutive terms since 1985.

What shapes voters’ mood?

Jalukbari has over 2,06,314 lakh voters, with a dominance of 1,08,654 female, 97,653 male and seven transgender voters and across 247 polling stations. The constituency covers areas from Azara and Dharapur to Maligaon, Pandu and Gotanagar besides North Guwahati. The constituency has seen visible infrastructure push, including the Guwahati-North Guwahati bridge, along with improvements in civic services.

The bridge has significantly eased daily commuting, cutting travel time between the two banks of the Brahmaputra from nearly an hour to just around 7-10 minutes and providing an all-weather alternative to the congested Saraighat route.

It has also reduced traffic congestion and fuel costs while improving access to workplaces, markets and institutions across the river, benefiting lakhs of commuters.

For many voters, delivery at the local level stands out. Angshuman Dey, an entrepreneur, said, “Himanta Biswa Sarma has done a lot of work for Jalukbari, like water connection. When other parts of Guwahati still struggle, we have been enjoying piped water supply for the last two years. GMC regularly cleans the area and complaints are taken very seriously.”

He added, “Constituency people find him easily approachable. Despite being Chief Minister, he acts like a local MLA and guardian whenever someone raises an issue. He has some very loyal support-base.”

He further noted that outreach extends across communities, including the sizable Bengali-speaking population in the constituency.

The challenger’s pitch

The Congress has fielded Bidisha Neog, a grassroots Congress worker who had worked in the administrative section of the Gauhati University for a decade. Her campaign relies heavily on door-to-door outreach, attempting to build direct voter connect to fight the might of the CM and his wife.

While talking to The Assam Tribune, Neog said that people can now see through the corruption by the CM and his family. “It is true that he is very powerful, but the enormity of his corruption, spanning decades of his power stint, is much taller.”

Framing her campaign in moral terms, she added, “I belong to a party that follows Gandhian ideology. With a lathi and khadi, Mahatma Gandhi fought the mighty Britishers through ahimsa. I am taking this battle forward in my own way. For me, it is a fight between might and ideology.”

More than a routine contest

Jalukbari has rarely seen close fights. From Phukan’s dominance in the past to Sarma’s current hold, the seat has consistently backed strong leaders. That pattern continues, till a determinant challenger repeats history. This time, the spotlight is not just on victory, but on the scale of victory and the narrative around it.