Sivasagar set for high-stakes contest as BJP targets Akhil Gogoi's seat
The BJP is intensifying efforts to reclaim the Sivasagar seat amid multiple ticket aspirants and internal divisions over the likely candidate.
Sivasagar, Jan 31: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is gearing up to bolster its poll prospects in the prestigious 96 Sivasagar Legislative Assembly Constituency (LAC) in Upper Assam, with its extensive organisational machinery working in tandem. The party’s primary objective in the 2026 Assembly elections is to wrest the seat from Raijor Dal supremo Akhil Gogoi.
In the 2021 elections, Gogoi, who contested from jail as an Independent candidate, surprised many by comfortably defeating BJP nominee Surabhi Rajkumari, a first-time candidate. Gogoi secured 57,219 votes, defeating his nearest rival, the BJP candidate, by a margin of 11,875 votes.
The key question among voters now is whether the BJP can reclaim the constituency in the next elections. Most voters this correspondent spoke to believe the BJP has a strong chance, provided it fields a suitable candidate.
According to reports, more than a dozen BJP leaders are aspiring for the party ticket from Sivasagar. These include district BJP president Bitupon Raidongia; former BJP Mahila Morcha vice-president Dipika Kakoty Duwori; former Thowra MLA Kushal Duwori; BJP state executive member Pranjal Kotoky; social worker Hari Prasanna Hazarika; Dr Ankita Dutta, daughter of former Congress minister Anjan Dutta; BJP spokesperson Kalyan Gogoi; social workers Manas Handique, Samir Gogoi and Lachit Gogoi; former Mr India Bijit Gogoi; Dr Asami Gogoi; former BJP candidate Surabhi Rajkumari; State Women’s Commission member Binita Saikia Dey; Sivasagar Municipality chairperson Mrinalee Konwar; and Jyoti Phukan.
Speculation is rife that Chief Minister Dr Himanta Biswa Sarma has indicated former Thowra MLA and ex-ULFA leader Kushal Duwori as the likely candidate.
Duwori narrowly lost the Thowra seat in 2021 to then Congress candidate Sushanta Borgohain, who later joined the BJP. Subsequently, with the Chief Minister’s approval, Duwori shifted focus to Sivasagar as chairman of the Urban Sewage Board, implementing government schemes in the constituency.
However, the BJP camp remains divided, with Duwori on one side and other aspirants on the other. Several aspirants, speaking on condition of anonymity, said they would oppose his candidature, citing his past links with ULFA during the 1990s, memories of which they claim remain vivid among voters.
Akhil Gogoi has already launched sharp attacks against Duwori on social media, warning that fielding him from a highly literate constituency like Sivasagar would be controversial.
Following delimitation, the Sivasagar LAC now has 2,07,605 voters, including 1,02,772 men, 1,04,832 women and one transgender voter, after the merger of 11 wards from Amguri and one from Nazira. The BJP has sought to strengthen its base by enrolling around 63,000 new members and conducting ‘Mahajansamparka Abhiyan’ programmes, along with rolling out beneficiary schemes.
The BJP’s defeat in 2021 was a major setback, despite Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma campaigning for the party.
Post-election analysis suggested the party had fielded a weak candidate, compounded by internal dissent. Former district BJP president Bhaben Mohan’s defection to Raijor Dal after being denied the ticket further dented the party’s prospects.