Guwahati: In one of the most striking outcomes of Assam’s vote counting day, Congress president Gaurav Gogoi suffered a decisive defeat in the Jorhat Assembly constituency, losing by over 23,000 votes to sitting BJP MLA Hitendra Nath Goswami.
Goswami secured 69,439 votes against Gogoi’s 46,257 after 14 rounds of counting, registering a margin of 23,182 votes. The result is particularly significant as Jorhat is considered a stronghold of the Gogoi family, and Gogoi himself currently represents the constituency in Parliament. This was his first attempt at entering the state Assembly.
The outcome also carries political weight beyond the constituency. Just a day before the counting, Gogoi had asserted that the Opposition would form the next government in Assam with more than 70 seats. The emphatic loss in Jorhat has sharply undercut that claim.
During the campaign, senior Congress leader Rahul Gandhi had described Gogoi as a “babbar sher” (lion). However, the electorate in Jorhat delivered a verdict that contrasts starkly with that projection.
Meanwhile, the BJP and its allies recorded key victories in other constituencies. In Dhemaji, Assam minister Ranoj Pegu retained his seat, continuing his electoral success after first winning the constituency in a 2017 bypoll and again in 2021.
In Sissibargaon, BJP candidate Jiban Gogoi emerged victorious, further strengthening the party’s position in Upper Assam.
In Mazbat, Charan Boro of the Bodoland People’s Front (BPF) secured a landslide win with a margin of 55,546 votes. This marks Boro’s third Assembly victory. He was the lone BPF representative in the outgoing ministry after the party joined the BJP-led NDA government last year.
Overall, the results from these constituencies underscore a strong showing by the BJP-led alliance, with the Jorhat verdict standing out as one of the most politically consequential outcomes of the election.