Congress chief and MP Gaurav Gogoi, 43, has filed his nomination to contest the election in the Jorhat assembly constituency. The three-time parliament member since 2014, won the Jorhat seat after defeating the sitting parliamentarian, Topon Kumar Gogoi.
Gaurav Gogoi is contesting his first assembly election against the BJP’s Hitendra Nath Goswami, 67, who also filed his nomination on the same day.
Jorhat was a Congress stronghold but has elected Goswami twice since 2016.
What is unique here is that both candidates are engaging in a mutually respectful contest.
“I have contested many elections from Jorhat, but had never seen such a large number of supporters turning out to join me as I submitted nomination papers,” said Goswami.
Gogoi sees the coming elections as an opportunity to change Assam and cleanse it, as he said that the state is reaching a new low under BJP rule for the past 10 years. “This is a historic opportunity for voters across the state to change that and cleanse it,” Gogoi said .
Both the Congress and the BJP have a strong presence in Jorhat. Babu Saikia, a Jorhat resident who spoke to the Hindustan Times, said that both leaders had a chance of winning in the constituency. “Both candidates seem to have an equal chance of winning. Both Gogoi and Goswami are well-educated and enjoy a lot of support from voters due to their dignified personalities,” said Babu Saikia, a Jorhat resident. “Both candidates have a clean image and do not indulge in personal attacks. It will be a tough choice for voters.”
Goswami called Gogoi a good orator. However he insistet that he would gain more support.
“But the people of Jorhat will support me. There are 10 assembly constituencies within the Jorhat Lok Sabha seat...Gogoi cannot submit a report card on what he has done for our assembly seat in the past two years since becoming a Parliament member,” said Goswami.
Meanwhile, Gogoi said that he respects Goswami. He said hat Goswami is like the Bhisma Pitamah of Jorhat, and he knows the constituency very well. “I respect him, but will enter the poll battle like Arjun and will do my duty to win this election,” said Gogoi.
To that, Goswai said that he didn't mind the comparison with a prominent figure from the Mahabharat, but the electoral battle is different, and that he will win.
