Friends Turned Rivals: Bhupen Borah vs Narayan Bhuyan in Bihpuria Assembly Seat

Politics can be a strange twist of fate. In Bihpuria assembly constituency of Lakhimpur district, two men who were once close friends are now facing each other as political rivals in the upcoming Assam assembly election.

The two candidates are Bhupen Kumar Borah, now of the BJP, and Narayan Bhuyan, the Congress nominee — and their contest is being watched closely in the constituency.

Also Read: Assam: Finally, Bhupen Borah Joins Bharatiya Janata Party

Until recently, Borah and Bhuyan were known to be close within Congress circles. Borah, a former APCC president and ex-Congress MLA from Bihpuria, was a senior figure in the party. There was even internal speculation that Borah would contest from Ranganadi while Bhuyan would be fielded from Bihpuria — a plan that would have kept the two friends on the same side.

That changed abruptly when, just before the Election Commission of India announced the poll schedule, Borah defected to the BJP. The move came as a significant blow to the Congress at a critical moment.

The BJP wasted little time in fielding Borah from Bihpuria itself, while Congress turned to Bhuyan to hold the seat. In doing so, a friendship was quietly converted into a political rivalry.

The BJP's decision to field Borah adds another layer of intrigue to the contest. In the 2021 assembly election, it was BJP's Amiya Kumar Bhuyan who defeated Bhupen Borah from the same seat — by a margin of 10,178 votes.

This time around, the party has denied the sitting MLA a ticket and instead handed the candidacy to the man he beat just four years ago. It is a calculated gamble that has raised eyebrows locally.

A total of four candidates are in the fray for Bihpuria LAC. Alongside Borah and Bhuyan, Dr Diganta Gogoi of the Voters Party International and independent candidate Hemen Gogoi are also contesting.

However, most voters and political observers in the constituency expect the real fight to be a straight head-to-head between Borah and Bhuyan.

Bihpuria LAC has 206 polling stations, with a total electorate of 1,66,726 voters — comprising 83,095 male and 83,631 female voters, making it a near-evenly split electorate by gender.