Golaghat: Nestled in the tea belt in
Upper Assam, Golaghat district is traditionally a Congress
bastion, but the ruling party`s nominess may find the going
tough this time when the four Assembly seats go to poll in the
first phase on April four.
In Golaghat seat, sitting MLA and minister Ajanta Neog is
facing a tough fight from Amiya Kumar Bora of the opposition
AGP and Debijit Bopra of the BJP.
Neog had been nominated to replace her late husband Nagen
Neog, former minister and MLA of the constituency, who was
assassinated by the ULFA militants.
Although Neog has done a lot of work especially by
repairing roads and bridges being the PWD minister, her
opponents are banking on the anti-incumbency factor to tilt
the balance.
A deciding factor can be the presence of Trinamool
Congress state president Debeswar Bora who is a dissident
Congressman who joined the party after being denied ticket.
As Bora hails from Golaghat town, he could eat into
the votes of the Congress nominee which might favour the AGP
nominee Bora.
In the neighbouring Bokakhat constituency an interesting
fight is on the cards between sitting Independent MLA Jiten
Gogoi and his AGP opponent and party heavyweight Atul Bora.
Gogoi has represented the constituency twice and is
regarded as a common-man`s MLA, but Bora is expected to give a
tough fight this time.
On the other hand, Congress nominee Arun Phukan could see
his vote bank eroded as dissident activities within his party
are on the rise.
Gogoi was in the news sometime back after an FIR was
filed in the Kaziranga police station by the Forest Department
who alleged that the MLA had illegally entered the Kaziranga
National Park, a world heritage site, and home to the highly
endangered one-horned rhinos and engaged in fishing inside the
park.
Sarupathar is the third constituency in the district
where sitting AGP MLA Binod Goala is pittled against Aklius
Tirkey of the Congress and Dinesh Bhilwuria of the BJP both of
whom belong to the dominant tea tribe community in the
district.
Tirkey is the favourite to win the seat as the ruling
party has a clear edge over others in terms of campaigning.
For the Khumtai seat, the Congress has fielded a first
timer and a young candidate Bismita Gogoi who is fighting
Upasana Gogoi of the AGP and Mridul Dutta of the BJP.
Gogoi being a woman candidate has got a shot in the
arm with star campaigners including chief minister Tarun Gogoi
and influential minister Himanta Biswa Sarma backing her.
Upasasa Gogoi is the wife of former AGP minister and
sitting MLA Prabin Gogoi who despite being re-nominated by the
party opted out of the contest on health grounds.
The AGP camp is divided as the grass root level workers
are not happy on the nomination of Upasana.
Bismita Gogoi could also hugely benefit with the
schedule of UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi to hold an election
rally in the constituency tomorrow.
PTI
