Gaurav Gogoi Set to Enter Assam Assembly Fray from Jorhat

Guwahati: In a major political development ahead of the 2026 Assam Legislative Assembly elections, Congress Deputy Leader in the Lok Sabha Gaurav Gogoi is all set to contest from the Jorhat Assembly constituency.

Party sources indicated that his name figured among the 42 seats discussed during the recent meeting of the Congress Central Election Committee (CEC), with around 30 constituencies reportedly cleared by the party’s top brass. An official announcement is expected after March 2.

Gogoi’s possible shift from national to state politics is being seen as a strategic move by the Congress to strengthen its prospects in Upper Assam and build early momentum for the 2026 polls.

Currently representing Jorhat in Parliament, Gogoi is one of the most prominent faces of the party in the state.

The Congress’ performance in the 2021 Assam Assembly elections provides important context to this move. In the 126-member House, the BJP-led NDA returned to power with 75 seats, while the Congress-led alliance managed 50 seats.

The Congress itself secured 29 seats with a vote share of around 29.67 percent. Although the party marginally improved its seat tally compared to 2016, it fell short of challenging the BJP’s dominance.

The 2021 results highlighted Congress’ persistent challenges in converting vote share into decisive victories across regions, particularly in Upper Assam.

However, the 2024 Lok Sabha elections offered the party some encouragement. In Assam’s 14 parliamentary constituencies, the NDA won 11 seats, but the Congress managed to secure three seats and improved its vote share to approximately 37.48 percent, up from 35.79 percent in 2019.

Gogoi retained the Jorhat Lok Sabha seat with a comfortable margin, reinforcing his position as one of the party’s strongest campaigners in the state.

For the BJP, which has maintained a firm grip over Assam since 2016, the possible candidature of Gogoi from Jorhat adds a high-profile contest to the upcoming election landscape.

With both sides preparing early and organizational groundwork already underway, the Jorhat seat could emerge as one of the most closely watched battlegrounds in the run-up to 2026.

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