Opposition heavyweights – Gaurav Gogoi, Debabrata Saikia, Lurinjyoti Gogoi – lose big
Staff Reporter
GUWAHATI: The NDA hurricane led by the BJP blew off the Congress-led opposition away from the electoral scenario in Assam. This victory is a significant achievement for the ruling alliance, marking their third consecutive term in Dispur and ensuring a stable government.
This victory was so decisive that even APCC president Gaurav Gogoi, former Leader of Opposition Debabrata Saikia, and AJP president Lurinjyoti Gogoi were defeated. The shifting of loyalty from the Congress to the BJP by Bhupen Borah and Pradyut Bordoloi just days before the election proved to be a providential escape from defeat for them. Eighty-two of the 90 candidates, fielded by the BJP, won their respective seats. Over 15 young and new faces of the BJP also tasted their first electoral win in their lives.
Among the NDA alliance, the BJP alone has 82 seats in its kitty against 60 in 2021; the AGP has 10, against 9 in 2021; and the BPF has 10 against 4 in 2021.
On the contrary, the strength of the Congress reduced to 19 from 29 in 2021, and that of the AIUDF fell headlong to 2 against 16 in 2021. The regional party AGP, which fielded 26 candidates in this poll, could not improve its strength. However, both AGP president Atul Bora and executive president Keshab Mahanta achieved a significant milestone by winning elections in three consecutive terms. The Raijor Dal, led by Akhil Gogoi from the front, added another seat to make it two. Interestingly, former Congress MLA Sherman Ali Ahmed opened the account for the Trinamool Congress (TMC) in the Assam Assembly in this election.
The robust developmental works of the Dr Himanta Biswa Sarma-led government in the state, including women’s empowerment, beneficiary schemes, and transparent recruitment processes, proved too strong for the weak electoral strategies of the opposition. Interestingly, the voters’ mandate in the state behaved in such a way that Congress lost its grip in its upper Assam strongholds and other LACs dominated by the indigenous population in the state. In yet another development, the minority voters rejected their one-time favourite, AIUDF. This is not all. The Gen-Z wave concerning Kunki Choudhury from Guwahati Central and Gyanashree Bora from Mariani LACs failed to spell magic on the electorate, indicating that their appeal did not resonate with the voters as anticipated, leading to a lack of support for their candidatures. The rise of the BPF and the downfall of the UPPL are significant. While the BPF won ten seats, the UPPL drew blank. This was significant enough that UPPL president and Rajya Sabha MP Pramod Boro also lost his seat. Outgoing Speaker Biswajit Daimary defeated him in the Tamulpur LAC.