New Guwahati LAC: BJP vs Congress in Renamed Constituency

The redrawing of assembly boundaries has given Guwahati a new electoral identity. The erstwhile East Guwahati Legislative Assembly Constituency has been renamed New Guwahati LAC, and the seat is shaping up to be a direct contest between the BJP and the Congress — both fielding fresh faces for the first time in this reconstituted constituency.

The Aam Aadmi Party has also entered the fray, fielding Aditya Gogoi as its candidate, though the primary battle is expected to be between the two major parties.

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The BJP has named Diplu Ranjan Sarmah as its candidate — a sitting MLA from Samaguri, who won that seat after Rakibul Hussain moved to Parliament as the MP from Dhubri following the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.

The decision came at the cost of sitting East Guwahati MLA Siddhartha Bhattacharya, who has been denied a ticket this time.

Congress has countered with Santanu Borah, the son of Pankaj Borah — a two-term MLA from the old East Guwahati seat who also served as a minister in the Tarun Gogoi-led state government. The Borah name carries recognisable political weight in the constituency.

Notably, both candidates are general secretaries of their respective parties and are said to be contemporaries who approach politics through an ideological lens.

The seat's history reflects Assam's broader political transitions over the decades.

The AGP held it in 1985 and 1990, during the wave that followed the Assam Agitation. Congress then dominated for three consecutive terms — 2001, 2006, and 2011. The BJP has been in command for the past two terms, winning in 2016 and again in 2021.

Whether that momentum carries into the newly redrawn constituency remains the central question of this contest.

Congress candidate Santanu Borah struck a measured tone while drawing a contrast with the ruling party.

"People have come out in our support as they want something new. Beneficiary schemes will continue even if our party comes to power, but the beneficiaries will not be bound to adhere to certain conditions that are now imposed on them," he said.

Borah also took aim at the BJP's style of governance, saying voters perceived its leaders as unapproachable and dismissive of public concerns — though he was careful to add that he would not make the contest personal.

"There may be ideological differences between the BJP and Congress, but I will never launch any personal attack on my opposing candidate," he said.

BJP candidate Diplu Ranjan Sarmah anchored his pitch firmly in the incumbent government's record.

"The development achieved in the past ten years by the BJP government in Assam is our main poll plank. People have realized that the BJP government has been consistent in bringing about development across the state," he said.

Sarmah acknowledged that the constituency faces tangible local issues — drinking water access, artificial flooding, and poor road connectivity in hilly areas — and pledged to begin addressing them from day one in office.

The redrawn New Guwahati LAC has a total electorate of approximately 1.91 lakh voters, spread across urban neighbourhoods, rural pockets, and hilly terrain — a diverse mix that candidates from all parties will need to navigate carefully.