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
Indian Express
17 minutes ago
- Indian Express
Bengaluru stampede: Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah summoned to Delhi to meet Congress high command
Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah was summoned to Delhi for a meeting with the Congress high command to discuss the recent stampede outside M Chinnaswamy stadium in Bengaluru that left 11 people dead. According to the Chief Minister's Office, Siddaramaiah will be in Delhi on Tuesday for the meeting. The meeting gains significance as the state government is under fire from various quarters following the tragic incident. Opposition parties have demanded that Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar resign from their posts by taking moral responsibility for the incident. However, both leaders have dismissed the demands. Speculations are rife that the high command could ask some key ministers to step down from the Cabinet by taking moral responsibility for the stampede that happened during a felicitation ceremony for the Indian Premier League-winning Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) team. The Karnataka government, it can be recalled, suspended former Bengaluru city police commissioner B Dayananada and other officials a day after the incident. MLC K Govindaraju was also sacked from the post of political secretary to the chief minister, as he was blamed for pushing for the celebrations in the city. Siddaramaiah is expected to meet top party leaders along with Shivakumar, who is already in Delhi. The latter is in the national capital to visit a solid waste management plant run by the Municipal Corporation of Delhi. Apart from the loss of face suffered by the government for organising a felicitation ceremony for the RCB team at Vidhana Soudha despite opposition by the police, the two are also expected to finalise the list of four MLC candidates, said sources. The four seats have been vacant for six months now. The meeting also comes ahead of a second special Cabinet meeting convened to discuss the Socio-economic and Educational Census, which was placed before the state Cabinet in April this year.
The Hindu
18 minutes ago
- The Hindu
Assam govt to intensify drive to identify illegal foreigners: Himanta
Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Monday (June 9, 2025) said the State Government would enforce a 1950 law to identify and evict illegal foreigners. He claimed that the law empowers the district commissioners to declare individuals as illegal immigrants and initiate eviction proceedings. Speaking during a special day-long Assembly session, he alleged that Congress does not value 'citizenship', as out of four family members of one of its leaders, three are foreigners. It was an apparent jibe at the opposition party's State President Gaurav Gogoi, who was seated at the visitors' gallery of the Assembly in front of the treasury bench, whom the chief minister had been targeting for his alleged Pakistan links through his British wife. Mr. Sarma, replying to issues of detection and deportation of foreigners, said the state government will implement the Immigrants (Expulsion from Assam) Act, 1950, for the purpose. It allows the district commissioner to declare illegal foreigners and evict them. Mr. Sarma said a constitutional bench of the Supreme Court had recently ruled that the Act is in force and the government can proceed under its provisions. He said more than 300 illegal Bangladeshis have been deported in recent months. Responding to AIUDF MLA Rafikul Islam's caution that foreigner detection should be handled carefully because 'citizenship is a most valued asset for any individual,' Mr. Sarma doubled down on his criticism of the Congress. 'Rafikul Islam has said citizenship is the most valuable asset, but it may not be so for Congress as they have people in whose family out of four members, three are foreigners,' he said. Mr. Sarma had been claiming that not only has Congress MP Gaurav Gogoi's wife retained her British citizenship, but their two minor children are also not Indian nationals.
Hans India
18 minutes ago
- Hans India
From Swachhata to Vishwakarma to Ayushman Bharat: 11 years of ‘Garib Kalyan' under Modi govt
In the last eleven years, Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led government has tirelessly worked for the emancipation and upliftment of the downtrodden and marginalised class with the 'Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas' motto, marking the hallmark of its governance. Antyodaya remained one of the guiding principles of the BJP-led NDA government as it consistently worked towards the welfare of the poor, farmers and deprived population with policies centered on the development of villages and rural regions. As PM Modi-led government celebrates eleven years of being in power and 1 year of Modi 3.0, below is the lowdown on key achievements and milestones: Rural India's standard of living improves About 171 million people were lifted out of extreme poverty over the past decade. According to the World Bank's Spring 2025 Poverty and Equity Brief, the share of the population living on less than $2.15 per day fell sharply -- from 16.2 per cent in 2011-12 to just 2.3 per cent in 2022-23. The rural India witnessed a significant rise in the standard of living. The average Monthly Per Capita Consumption Expenditure (MPCE) rose from Rs 1,430 in 2011–12 to Rs 4,122 in 2023–24 -- a nearly threefold increase. JJM ensured clean water, healthy life Under the Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM), more than 15.59 crore rural households now have tap water connections. Over 12 crore of these were added in just the past five years. More than 9.35 lakh schools now have tap water connectivity. Housing for All For many families across rural and urban India, a permanent house was once an unattainable dream. The Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (PMAY) changed that narrative. PMAY has two components: Urban and Grameen. A total of nearly 4 crore houses have been completed under PMAY. Under Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (PMAY) - Urban, more than 92.72 lakh homes have been delivered, with over 90 lakh houses owned by women while in rural India, 2.77 crore houses have been completed under PMAY - Grameen. Notably, 60 per cent of these houses have been allocated to SCs and STs, and 25.29 per cent have been registered in the name of women, promoting gender equity. Saubhagya lights up lives The launch of SAUBHAGYA and Deendayal Upadhyaya Gram Jyoti Yojana (DDUGJY) has brought transitional change in the lives of people. Today, 2.86 crore households have been electrified under the SAUBHAGYA scheme. Under DDUGJY, 100 per cent village electrification has been achieved. Ayushman Bharat making India healthier Ayushman Bharat was introduced to improve access to quality primary and secondary healthcare, and provide financial protection to poor and vulnerable families. It offers free health insurance coverage to 55 crore Indians, making it the world's largest health assurance scheme and with Ayushman Vay Vandana scheme, all citizens above 70 years have been brought under this scheme. Suraksha Bima and Jeevan Jyoti Bima Yojana The Pradhan Mantri Suraksha Bima Yojana (PMSBY) has played a vital role in extending affordable social security to millions. As of May 2025, the scheme achieved enrolment of 51.06 crore individuals while the PM Jeevan Jyoti Bima Yojana (PM JJBY) had 23.64 crore subscribers till May this year. Swachh Bharat Abhiyaan So far, Swachh Bharat Mission has delivered over 12 crore household toilets across the country. Over 5.64 lakh villages have been declared Open Defecation Free (ODF). Clean Cooking fuel for women The Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana (PMUY) provided 10.33 crore LPG connections, giving millions of women freedom from smoke and drudgery. As per the official figures, more than 32 .94 crore people are active LPG consumers by March 2025. Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana The Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana (PMGKAY), launched with aim of mitigating hardships faced by the poor and needy due to economic disruptions during Covid-19, has been providing free rations to 81 crore people since April 2020. PM Jan Dhan Yojana PM Jan Dhan Yojana (PMJDY) was launched to provide universal access to banking facilities. Today, the country boasts a whopping 55.17 crore accounts, out of which 30.80 crore account holders are women. PM Vishwakarma Scheme Millions of artisans and craftsmen once faded into obscurity in a modernising economy but that became a thing of past under BJP government. Today, 2.37 million registered artisans and nearly 1 million beneficiaries are receiving toolkit incentives, traditional skills are being recognised, rewarded, and revived.
