Uditya Choudhary and Subhasis Borah, both voters from the Jorhat Assembly constituency in Upper Assam, found themselves weighing experience against promise on Thursday.
Choudhary, 23, who helps his father in the family’s food business, and Borah, 20, a student at JB University, told The Telegraph that it was difficult to choose between two key contenders for the seat — sitting BJP MLA Hitendra Nath Goswami, a seasoned politician, and Congress leader Gaurav Gogoi, a Lok Sabha MP.
Choudhary said: “Both candidates are educated, hail from distinguished families and have a clean image. One has so much experience in public life (Goswami is a five-time MLA and former Assembly Speaker), while the other is seen as a promising leader given his performance in the Lok Sabha. It is difficult to choose one over the other.”
Borah shared the same dilemma. “Gogoi is promising and has been projected as the chief ministerial candidate, while Goswami has been steady all along and has a wealth of experience. Jorhat has seen development in the past five years, but there’s also a growing call for change. For many of us, it was a question of embracing the tried and tested present or the possible future. Frankly, it was a difficult decision,” Borah said.
This was the overwhelming sentiment across the constituency, which has 1,48,280 voters.
Expectedly, all eyes are on the electoral battle in Jorhat. It has generated as much interest as the 2024 Lok Sabha election, when Gogoi, son of former chief minister Tarun Gogoi, won against the might of the ruling BJP-led alliance.
Now Gogoi, who is contesting the Assembly polls for the first time, is not only leading the six-party Opposition alliance against the ruling BJP-led alliance but has been projected as its chief ministerial candidate.
Goswami first became an MLA in 1991 for the AGP, an ally of the BJP. He has won
the seat twice on a BJP ticket since 2016.
The mutual respect the 2 Gs — Gogoi and Goswami — displayed for each other during the campaign rubbed onto their respective cadres. Party workers on both
sides focused on highlighting their candidates’ strengths rather than resorting to negative campaigning, wary of losing voters.
Even on poll day, Gogoi and Goswami remained composed and cheerful when their paths crossed in Ward No. 6, embracing each other warmly. They shared tea and posed
for photographs.
“This will be a unique photo,” Goswami remarked. “That’s what is special about Jorhat — there is no animosity.”