Guwahati: Two Congress leaders – former minister Bismita Gogoi and expelled Assam Youth Congress president Angkita Dutta joining the BJP may twirl the political future of two sitting MLAs Prodip Hazarika and Mrinal Hazarika in jeopardy.
Mrinal Hazarika represents the Khumtai constituency in Upper Assam’s Golaghat district, where he registered victory in 2016 and 2021 state assembly elections as a BJP candidate.
Pradip Hazarika is a fifth-time MLA, representing the Amguri constituency in Upper Assam’s Sibsagar district as a candidate of the Asom Gana Parishad (AGP).
Bismita Gogoi and Angkita Dutta joined the BJP on Sunday evening along with former All Assam Students’ Union (AASU) president Dipanka Nath.
Bismita Gogoi, daughter-in-law of late Jibakanta Gogoi, former Speaker of the Assam Legislative Assembly, was elected as an MLA from Khumtai constituency in 2011 as a Congress candidate.
Her father-in-law was elected three times – 1983, 1991, and 2001 from the constituency.
As the Congress leaders have now joined the BJP, speculations are rife that Mrinal Hazarika, a hyper-active pro-people legislator may have to wrest with Bismita Gogoi for the party ticket in 2026 in the Khumtai constituency.
Bismita Gogoi lost twice to Mrinal Hazarika in the assembly election in 2016 and 2021 at Khumtai.
Since the Amguri constituency has now been merged with Nazira and Sibsagar constituencies, it is almost certain that it is the end of Prodip Hazarika’s political career.
Prodip Hazarika is not happy with the ECI’s decision to merge Amguri with Nazira and Sibsagar and accused the senior AGP leadership of the ‘failure’ to avert the merger of his constituency.
In protest against the decision of the merger of his Amguri constituency, he has resigned from the primary membership of AGP.
And with Angkita Dutta joining the BJP, it is certain that though AGP is a partner of the ruling coalition in Assam, Prodip Hazarika is not likely to get a ticket at Nazira or Sibsagar.
Bolstered with joining the BJP, Angkita Dutta is likely to try her electoral luck against Raijor Dal leader Akhil Gogoi in Sibsagar.
There is less possibility of her contesting against senior Congress leader and leader of the opposition, Debabrata Saikia at Nazira.
Angkita Dutta’s father, late Anjan Dutta was a minister and the President of the Assam Pradesh Congress Committee, and represented the Amguri constituency as an MLA in 1991, 2001, and 2011.
As Anjan Dutta’s family is originally from Sibsagar, in all probability, Angkita Dutta would now concentrate in the constituency.
