Gaurav Gogoi vs Himanta Biswa Sarma: The new gambit
(NOTE: This article was originally published in the India Today issue dated June 9, 2025)It may have been a coronation waiting to happen, but when it came—on May 26, with a year to go for the 2026 Assam assembly election—it rang out like a call to a duel from the days of feudal chivalry. Gaurav Gogoi, like a prince who had the throne snatched from him, has got his chance for avengement. Elevated as state Congress president by the high command, his formal investiture sets the stage for a most intense political slug fest, for Gogoi will be in the ring against a very combative incumbent CM, Himanta Biswa Sarma of the BJP, the mutineer who felled his father.advertisementIt's a classic set piece, meant to end a frustrating decade of eclipse for the Congress, marked by utter BJP dominance over a state it had made a fresh conquest of only in 2016. Part of it rests on legacy. The late Tarun Gogoi's 15-year stint as CM is often associated with Assam's fitful passage out of its old militancy-hit phase into a measure of stability and prosperity.But the package also offers a 'new, improved' version of his son, Gaurav, reimaged as the Grand Old Party's 'face of revival', 'a charismatic challenger'. What aids this is the rise in Gaurav's own stature since his decisive win in the 2024 Lok Sabha election, and his visibility—and audibility—as the party's deputy leader in the Lok Sabha thereafter.
CM Himanta Sarma | Photo: ANI
advertisementELECTORAL MATHThe Congress is also seeking to solve Assam's complex electoral math in its usual way. Three new working presidents represent key demographics: Jakir Hussain Sikdar (Bengali-origin Muslim), Roselina Tirkey ('tea garden' tribal) and Pradip Sarkar (Bengali Hindu). Gaurav is from the Ahom community, historically crucial to electoral success in the state. With him positioned as de facto CM candidate, the party is also sending a powerful message—that they're backing him to the hilt despite Sarma lobbing allegations of a 'Pakistani connection' at Gaurav's British wife Elizabeth Colburn. Sarma's campaign over the past few months has included claims that Elizabeth worked for Pakistani agencies and that Gaurav visited the country on ISI invitation. Gaurav has called it a 'C-grade Bollywood movie plot' and questioned Sarma's 'mental state' while offering a nuanced refutation.The 2024 Lok Sabha election marked a definitive turning point in Gaurav Gogoi's political career and his rivalry with Sarma. Delimitation had eliminated the old Gogoi pocket borough of Kaliabor, forcing him to contest from Jorhat, where his prospects appeared slim. Sarma arrayed the entire state apparatus against him, turning it into a prestige battle. So, when Gogoi won by 144,000-plus votes, it was more than just another LS seat win for the Congress—it shattered Sarma's aura of electoral invincibility.advertisement
Within the state unit, there's a mix of enthusiasm and pragmatic acceptance, with veterans aware that Gogoi is their best bet at the top. But his feet aren't planted too solidly: the Congress had a scare show in the recent panchayat polls, not winning a single Zila Parishad seat in Jorhat, Gogoi's stronghold.It's on this perilous turf that Gogoi stages his 2026 challenge. It's a clash of personalities. Also, a choice between two visions: Sarma's muscular, growth-focused approach vs Gogoi's social justice alternative.Subscribe to India Today MagazineMust Watch
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Print
25 minutes ago
- The Print
Beef being ‘weaponised' against Hindus; Assamese people must take ‘non-compromising stance': CM
Addressing a press conference at the BJP state office here, Sarma said, 'Earlier, if a couple of Muslim families lived in a Hindu neighbourhood, they would be careful not to create any problems for the Hindus. If they wanted to have beef, they would go to their people living in Muslim-majority areas.' 'But now, it has become such that they will throw away the leftovers and waste around so that the Hindus in the neighbourhood have to eventually leave that place,' he added. Stressing that Assamese people have to take a 'non-compromising' stance to push back illegal foreigners, he maintained that Assam was waging a struggle against forces which had 'sympathisers' across the globe. Guwahati, Jun 10 (PTI) Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Tuesday alleged that beef is being 'weaponised' against Hindus in the state, citing instances of pieces of the meat being purportedly thrown in public places after the Eid celebration last week. He cited the instances of beef being purportedly left in various places after Eid last week, including in front of Cotton University here. 'Someone can have it at Eid, but it cannot be weaponised against other people,' Sarma asserted. He rued that no protests were held against the act and maintained that the number of voices opposing such incidents are coming down. 'Good Muslims oppose such acts. They do not post photos on Facebook holding beef,' he said, adding that he received just three phone calls from Muslim persons after these incidents to say that they do not approve of it. The chief minister expressed apprehension that if things move as it is now, 'in 20 years, beef will be thrown in front of Kamakhya temple'. While police have a role in curtailing such incidents, support of the people behind the force is necessary for it to take decisive steps, Sarma added. He asserted that the Assamese people have to take a 'non-compromising stance to protect ourselves' and the Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led government was willing to lend all its help. 'Modi ji is saying push back (illegal foreigners), but Assamese people are questioning why push back is happening. Most criticism of the push back is coming from Assamese people… Modi ji alone cannot protect us,' he said. He claimed that all foreigners were sent away from Gujarat by Modi and not a single one went to the court, whereas in Assam, cases are filed daily against action on illegal migrants by Assamese petitioners and lawyers. Sarma said that Congress and its legislative party head Debabrata Saikia had opposed the push back of foreigners in the assembly on Monday, but no organisation has protested their stand or media criticised the party for it. He also cited Saikia quoting in the assembly that then PM Jawaharlal Nehru had opposed the Immigrants (Expulsion from Assam) Act, 1950, which empowers district commissioners to identify foreigners and remove them. 'This goes on to show that Nehru's pro-foreigner stance was from 1950 itself,' he said. 'Our struggle is against forces which have sympathisers everywhere in the world,' Sarma maintained. He said 2,895 Facebook accounts, originating from places like Islamabad, Dhaka and Riyadh are active which write or comment only on Palestine and Assam. 'We are a state surrounded by enemies… we have to do our research and hand over these details to Modi ji, so that he can take it further and enlist the help of agencies like Interpol,' Sarma said. He said that the 'interest' of Pakistan and Bangladesh in Assam was since the time of Independence as it was proposed to be included in erstwhile East Pakistan. 'It is nothing new. When there was friendly government in Bangladesh, anti-India sentiments had decreased, and when Younis came, these sentiments increased. In Pakistan, the anti-India sentiments were always there,' he maintained. 'If we take the initiative (to work against these forces), central government will help us,' he added. Mentioning of the National Register of Citizens (NRC), Sarma said that the state government, AASU and others are 'not satisfied' with it. He said the state government has approached the Supreme Court for re-verification of 20-10 per cent of the names in various categories, and though the apex court has not agreed to it yet, 'we believe the court will accept it'. He also cited an SC judgement which states that NRC and deportation of foreigners are not linked. Sarma said that the state government will use the 1950 Act for 'removing' foreigners from the state, with 35 identified illegal immigrants ready to be pushed back as soon as the flood situation improves. Admitting that sending them back will not completely solve the problem, he said that it will ensure that new immigrants will not try to enter. 'Arunachal Pradesh regularly sends back these people and hence, there have fear to go there. We also have to instill that fear,' he added. Sarma claimed that there was a section of lawyers trained by the Congress who helped ineligible people to get their names included in the NRC, though he did not take any names. He emphasised the need for lawyers to represent the 'people of the state' in the Supreme Court in cases on foreigners issue, maintaining that only the government advocates were not enough. 'Courts are for the people… if there are lawyers representing the interest of the people, the judiciary will have a better understanding of the people's problems,' he added. PTI SSG SSG ACD This report is auto-generated from PTI news service. ThePrint holds no responsibility for its content.
The Hindu
32 minutes ago
- The Hindu
Delhi Cabinet approves ordinance to curb school fee hike
The Delhi cabinet led by Chief Minister Rekha Gupta has approved an ordinance to regulate fees charged by schools, Education Minister Ashish Sood announced on Tuesday (June 10, 2025). Addressing a press conference, Mr. Sood said that in the eighth Cabinet meeting, the BJP government approved the ordinance based on the proposed Delhi School Education (Transparency in Fixation and Regulation of Fees) Bill, 2025. "The ordinance will be sent for presidential assent through the Lt Governor. This is a day of happiness for parents whose children study in private schools. It will take the form of a law," Sood said.
The Hindu
32 minutes ago
- The Hindu
Espionage case: YouTuber Jyoti Malhotra moves court, seeks regular bail
Social media influencer Jyoti Malhotra, arrested on suspicion of espionage last month, on Tuesday (June 10, 2025) sought regular bail from a local court, her lawyer said. Ms. Malhotra moved a regular bail plea before Judicial Magistrate (First Class) Sunil Kumar through her lawyer Kumar Mukesh. The court sought a reply from the police by June 11, he added. On Monday (June 9,2025), the court extended Mr. Malhotra's judicial custody and fixed her case's hearing on June 23. The 33-year-old YouTuber had appeared before the court through video-conferencing. Hisar Police arrested Ms. Malhotra on suspicion of espionage on May 16, and she was subsequently remanded to five days of police custody by the court. Following the completion of the remand, the court extended the custody by four more days after the police sought to question her further. On May 26, the court remanded her to judicial custody for 14 days. Ms. Malhotra, who hails from the city, ran a YouTube channel "Travel with JO". She was arrested at the New Aggarsain Extension and booked under provisions of the Official Secrets Act and the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita. Hisar Police previously said no evidence had emerged to indicate Ms. Malhotra had access to any military — or defence-related information but claimed she was in contact with some people, aware that they were Pakistani Intelligence Operatives (PIO). Police sources had previously said she was in touch with Ehsan-ur-Rahim alias Danish, a staffer at the Pakistani High Commission, since November 2023. India expelled Danish on May 13 for allegedly indulging in espionage. The police have claimed Pakistani intelligence operatives were developing Malhotra as an asset.
