Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) plays Ahom card to counter ‘three Gogois’ in Upper Assam

A CORRESPONDENT

DIBRUGARH: To tackle the opposition coalition of the three Gogois, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has also fielded several Ahom candidates in the Upper Assam constituencies.

The major Ahom candidates of the BJP are Taranga Gogoi (Naharkatia), Chakradhar Gogoi (Khowang), Sushanta Borgohain (Demow), Dharmeswar Konwar (Sonari), Suraj Dehingia (Mahmora), Mayur Borgohain (Nazira), and Jibon Gogoi (Sissibargaon).

Ahom-dominated constituencies in Upper Assam are primarily concentrated in the districts of Sivasagar, Jorhat, Charaideo, Golaghat, Dibrugarh, and Tinsukia. Key seats where the Ahom community holds significant electoral influence, based on their concentration, include Sivasagar, Nazira, Jorhat, Mariani, Dergaon, Teok, Mahmora, Sonari, Duliajan, and Khowang.

The Ahoms are an ethnic group from Assam and Arunachal Pradesh in India, descending from the Tai people who migrated from present-day Myanmar (Yunnan region) to the Brahmaputra Valley in 1228. They established and ruled the sovereign Ahom Kingdom for nearly 600 years (1228-1838), spanning most of Assam.

The Ahom dynasty, also known as Tai-Ahom, migrated to India from Thailand in the 12th century (around 800 years ago) and has long been of historical interest. They established a dynasty that ruled present-day Assam for nearly 600 years, from AD 1228 to AD 1826.

The BJP has also fielded several Ahom candidates to tackle the influence of the three Gogois-Gaurav Gogoi, Lurinjyoti Gogoi, and Akhil Gogoi-in the upcoming Assembly elections.

Gaurav Gogoi is the present Assam Pradesh Congress Committee (APCC) president and Lok Sabha MP from Jorhat. Gaurav Gogoi's late father, Tarun Gogoi, was the Chief Minister of Assam, and his legacy brought him into politics.

Akhil Gogoi is the president of Raijor Dal and the incumbent MLA of Sivasagar. Gogoi was earlier an RTI activist, and after the CAA movement, he entered politics. In his first attempt, he won the prestigious Sivasagar seat in the 2021 Assembly elections with a margin of 9,064 votes. He won the election from Dibrugarh Central Jail.

Lurinjyoti Gogoi was a former general secretary of the All Assam Students' Union (AASU). He is the current president of the Assam Jatiya Parishad (AJP), which was born out of the CAA agitation. Lurinjyoti Gogoi took the lead in the CAA movement. He contested the 2021 Assembly elections from Naharkatia and Duliajan but lost both seats. In the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, he contested from the Dibrugarh Lok Sabha constituency but lost to heavyweight candidate Sarbananda Sonowal.

In the 2024 general elections, the Raijor Dal chose not to contest to avoid fragmenting the Opposition space. The Congress fielded candidates in 13 seats, leaving Dibrugarh to Lurinjyoti. While the Congress won three seats, including Gaurav in Upper Assam's Jorhat, Lurinjyoti finished second in Dibrugarh behind BJP's Sarbananda Sonowal with over 4.14 lakh votes, underlining his growing influence.

"The three Gogois have this time come into a pact to overthrow the Himanta Biswa Sarma-led BJP government in Assam, but how far they will succeed in their mission, time will tell. Lastly, the Congress has made an alliance with the Raijor Dal and given 11 seats to them to field their candidates. The BJP has been a dominating force in the last two elections, but this time a tough fight is expected in some seats," said a political observer.

He said, "In major seats of Upper Assam, the BJP has fielded Ahom candidates because the Ahoms have played a crucial role in the politics of Assam, and the BJP does not want to take any risks in the upcoming Assembly polls."

"There has been a direct fight between the three Gogois and Himanta Biswa Sarma. Himanta Biswa Sarma has emerged as a top leader in Assam politics, and his influence has been significant among the people. He is regarded as a giant and a Chanakya in Northeast politics because he has taken most of the key decisions in Assam politics," the political observer said.

This time, the Congress is keeping the AIUDF at arm's length to avoid polarisation and prevent a consolidation of ethnic Assamese Hindu votes in favour of the BJP and its ally, the Asom Gana Parishad, which also has a strong base in Upper Assam.

Within less than a month, two senior leaders-former state party chief Bhupen Borah and sitting Lok Sabha MP Pradyot Bordoloi-quit the party to join the BJP. The alliance talks with the Raijor Dal had, in fact, nearly collapsed, with the Congress initially unwilling to concede even the 13 seats that it eventually agreed to. Akhil blamed Gaurav for the impasse, suggesting the latter appeared more focused on 2031 than the 2026 polls.

"Upper Assam seats have always been important for the BJP because it is in a good position in those seats. In the 2021 Assembly polls, the BJP gained the maximum seats in Upper Assam, and this time also they are planning to win the most seats in Upper Assam," said Ritesh Sharma, a senior citizen and a keen political analyst.

He said, "Tea tribes and Ahoms dominate the political landscape of Upper Assam because they are the majority in Upper Assam seats, and in every election they play a crucial role in deciding the fate of the candidates."

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