GUWAHATI: The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) clinched nine seats, while the Opposition Congress managed to secure three in the just concluded Lok Sabha polls in Assam.
While the electoral equation remained largely unchanged from the 2019 elections, a particular victory for the Grand Old Party seems to have stung the BJP the most – Gaurav Gogoi’s triumph over incumbent BJP MP Tapan Gogoi in the Jorhat constituency.
The victory in Jorhat, where Gaurav defeated the BJP candidate by a margin of 14,393 votes, has stirred controversy primarily due to the congratulatory gesture extended by BJP MLA, Mrinal Saikia, to the Congress MP post his win.
Reportedly, Saikia remarked, “The outcome proved that money, big publicity, overdoses of leaders, and arrogant speeches do not always ensure victory.”
Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma expressed displeasure over Saikia’s actions, insinuating a potential rift within the BJP.
Speaking to the press in Delhi, Sarma speculated that Saikia’s actions hinted at his inclination to part ways with the BJP.
“He might have taken a decision to not stay with the BJP. He congratulated the Congress for winning three seats but did not speak a word when BJP won 11 seats,” remarked Chief Minister Sarma.
Sarma further alleged that Mrinal Saikia had previously criticised Cabinet Minister Jayanta Mallabaruah, suggesting that Mallabaruah had performed superiorly compared to Saikia.
Despite the setback in Jorhat, the BJP managed to retain the remaining seats it won in 2019, including Darrang-Udalguri, Dibrugarh, Diphu, Guwahati, Karimganj, Lakhimpur, Silchar, and Sonitpur.
Additionally, the party secured victory in the newly constituted Kaziranga seat, carved out from the former Kaliabor constituency, where Gaurav had won in 2014 and 2019.
However, despite securing a clear majority of seats in the state, the BJP fell short of its anticipated performance.
Earlier, Chief Minister Sarma and other party leaders had confidently projected that the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) would triumph in 13 out of 14 seats.
