In the prestige battle of Jorhat, BJP candidate Topon Kumar Gogoi has emerged as a strong contender against Congress's Gaurav Gogoi and is anticipated to secure victory in the Lok Sabha seat, as per the India Today-Axis My India exit poll.
This pivotal seat in Assam witnessed voting in the initial phase of the 2024 Lok Sabha polls, featuring the incumbent MP, Topon Kumar, against Congress's deputy leader in Lok Sabha, Gaurav Gogoi.
Following the recent delimitation exercise in the northeastern state, Congress's Kaliabor MP, Gaurav Gogoi, transitioned to contest from Jorhat.
Notably, in the 2019 elections, BJP's Topon Kumar Gogoi clinched victory by defeating Sushanta Borgohain with a margin of 82,000 votes. Before that, in 2014, BJP's Kamakhya Prasad Tasa secured the seat by defeating Bijoy Krishna Handique with a margin of one lakh votes. Handique had been holding the Lok Sabha seat since 1991.
Jorhat holds particular significance in Assam's political landscape, having sent Gaurav Gogoi's father, Tarun Gogoi, to the Lok Sabha twice. Tarun Gogoi, also the former chief minister of Assam, additionally won from the Titabor Assembly seat, which falls within the Jorhat Lok Sabha constituency.
With a notable Ahom population, the contest in Jorhat gained further interest as both Gaurav Gogoi and his BJP counterpart, Topon Gogoi, hail from the Ahom community.
The BJP, led by Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, relied on its robust organizational strength and the popularity of welfare schemes under Prime Minister Narendra Modi to maintain its influence. The contest also assumed a personal dimension due to the historic rivalry between Himanta Biswa Sarma and Tarun Gogoi, the former Assam CM.
