HT Correspondent
JORHAT, March 19: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has re-nominated sitting MLA Hitendra Nath Goswami from the Jorhat Legislative Assembly Constituency, setting the stage for a high-profile contest against Gaurav Gogoi of the Congress in the forthcoming Assam Legislative Assembly Election 2026.
The announcement puts an end to speculation over the BJP candidate for the seat, with Goswami, a five-time MLA from Jorhat, set to contest the Assembly election for the seventh time.
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Goswami, who served as Speaker of the Assam Legislative Assembly during the tenure of former Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal and earlier as a minister during the Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) government led by Prafulla Kumar Mahanta, will face a strong challenge from Gaurav Gogoi, president of the Assam Pradesh Congress Committee and a three-time Member of Parliament.
Gogoi, who currently represents Jorhat in the Lok Sabha and has earlier been elected twice from Kaliabor, will be contesting an Assembly election in Assam for the first time.
Political observers expect an intense contest, with Goswami’s long-standing electoral record in Jorhat pitted against Gogoi’s growing political prominence in the state.
Goswami had won three consecutive terms from Jorhat on an AGP ticket starting in 1991 and later secured victories in 2016 and 2021 after joining the BJP.
Following the announcement, BJP workers and supporters gathered at Goswami’s residence in Rowriah and celebrated his candidature, raising slogans in support of the party leadership.
Thanking the party for reposing faith in him, Goswami said that significant development had taken place in Jorhat under the BJP-led government and expressed confidence that voters would support the party again.
He added that providing arsenic-free drinking water and improving healthcare infrastructure would be among his key priorities if re-elected.
In neighbouring constituencies, the BJP has re-nominated Rupjyoti Kurmi from Mariani, a five-time MLA, while Dhiraj Gowala, former president of the Assam Tea Tribes Students’ Association, has been fielded from Titabar.
The Congress is yet to announce candidates for Mariani and Titabar, while Raijor Dal has nominated Dr Gyanashree Bora from Mariani.
Polling for the Assembly elections will be held on April 9.
