-Congress Nears Finalisation of Candidates for Assam Assembly Elections; Gaurav Gogoi Likely from Jorhat
New Delhi : The Indian National Congress is close to finalising its list of candidates for the upcoming Assembly elections in Assam, with around 30 names reportedly cleared out of the 42 seats under consideration.
According to party sources, Gaurav Gogoi—Deputy Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha and President of the Assam Congress—may be fielded from the Jorhat Assembly seat. The sources indicated that deliberations have been held on all 42 constituencies, with approximately 30 candidates nearly finalised. Senior party leader and Member of Parliament Rakibul Hasan is also expected to contest the Assembly polls.
However, the party is likely to release its first list of candidates only after the official announcement of the election schedule.
Earlier reports suggested that a preliminary panel for 30 constituencies was prepared by a state-level screening committee after consultations with district units, senior leaders, and party observers. The panel was subsequently forwarded to the All India Congress Committee for approval. Sources indicated that discussions also focused on factors such as winnability, organisational acceptability, and feedback from local party units.
Gaurav Gogoi currently serves as the Member of Parliament from the Jorhat Lok Sabha constituency. In the 2024 general elections, he defeated Tapan Gogoi of the Bharatiya Janata Party by securing 751,771 votes against 607,378, winning by a margin of 144,393 votes. Known as a prominent leader within the party and close to the Gandhi family, he gained national attention during the 2023 no-confidence motion against the central government and has been actively critical of the BJP both inside and outside Parliament.
Currently heading the party’s organisation in Assam, Gogoi is leading the Congress campaign in the state. The Assembly elections, scheduled later this year, are expected to witness a contest between the Congress and the BJP-led government headed by Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, who is seeking to retain power.