BJP Sweeps Upper Assam As Congress Chief Gaurav Gogoi Loses Jorhat By Huge Margin To Hitendra Nath Goswami

Guwahati: In a result with both electoral and symbolic impact, BJP candidate Hitendra Nath Goswami registered a resounding victory in Jorhat, defeating Assam Pradesh Congress Committee (APCC) chief Gaurav Gogoi by 23,182 votes.

Goswami secured 69,439 votes against Gogoi’s 46,257 in what was widely seen as one of the most high-profile contests in Upper Assam. The outcome underlines the BJP’s deepening hold over a constituency that once carried significant weight for the Congress.

The contest was billed as a direct face-off between a seasoned BJP organiser and a Congress leader with national visibility. Gogoi, who has been leading the party’s revival push in Assam, now faces a major political setback that is likely to echo beyond Jorhat and raise concerns within the party over its organisational depth and messaging in the region.

For the BJP, the win is being projected as a validation of sustained grassroots work. Goswami credited his connection with local voters and consistent presence in key areas. “It was important for me to win Jorhat. For the past two years, I have worked closely in Hollongapar, and I believe people recognised that effort. My earlier tenure as MLA also helped me address several long-pending issues,” he said.

The Jorhat result was part of a larger trend that saw the Congress draw a blank across Upper Assam, once considered its traditional stronghold. The BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) dominated the region, winning an overwhelming majority of seats.

Upper Assam, including Dibrugarh, Tinsukia, Jorhat, Sivasagar, Golaghat, Charaideo, Dhemaji, Lakhimpur, and Majuli, covers around 35 Assembly seats after delimitation. Along with North Assam, the region totals nearly 49 constituencies, where Congress failed to win any seats.

Several senior Congress leaders faced defeats in key constituencies across Dibrugarh, Tinsukia, Golaghat and Lakhimpur, many by wide margins. In contrast, the BJP and its allies consolidated their position with strong performances in tea garden belts and indigenous-dominated areas such as Dibrugarh, Tinsukia and Naharkatia.

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The shift in voter preference, which began after 2016, appears to have peaked in this election, firmly tilting Upper Assam in favour of the BJP.

Political observers attribute the Congress rout to consolidation of Hindu and indigenous votes on identity issues, welfare schemes like the Orunodoi Scheme, infrastructure development, delimitation effects, and the BJP’s aggressive campaign led by Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma. The Congress couldn't match the organisational intensity.

The sweep in Upper Assam has significantly reduced the Congress’s overall tally in the state, even as it managed to win a few seats in Lower Assam and other pockets.