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The Jorhat constituency in Assam is set for a high-profile contest as Congress MP Gaurav Gogoi has taken the challenge to contest against Bharatiya Janata Party in its stronghold.
The seat is currently being held by BJP's Topon Kumar Gogoi. He has been repeated by the party from the state. However, Congress leader Gaurav Gogoi's decision to contest the elections from Jorhat, instead of his family's stronghold Kaziranga (erstwhile Kaliabor) -- from where he is sitting MP -- has made the contest interesting. Earlier this month, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma held a campaign rally in support of BJP's candidate, Topon Kumar Gogoi, in Titabor Bokahola Bagisa, Jorhat. He was seen dancing on stage during an election campaign. Sarma enthusiastically clapped and danced to a popular Jhumur song. Earlier in the day, Assam CM Sarma exuded confidence that the Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) will register victory in all five seats of the region by a significant margin. Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed an election rally in Assam's Nalbari today. He asked people to switch on the flashlights of their mobile phones as the 'Surya Tilak' ritual of Ram Lalla in Ayodhya was being performed. Earlier on Tuesday, he also held a roadshow in Assam's Guwahati in the run-up to the Lok Sabha elections. Gaurav Gogoi, during his campaign, has attacked the BJP, alleging it is a "safe haven for corrupt individuals" because political leaders who have income tax cases against them join the ruling party to get a clean chit from the government. The Congress MP also took on the Centre over the border standoff with China and said that the BJP should tell us what steps it has taken regarding the China issue. "Instead of going into history, look at the present. The BJP should tell us what steps it has taken regarding the China issue. Today, the way China is building relations with our neighbouring countries, India is becoming weak in its own region. The Prime Minister is responsible for this. Because for him, foreign policy is only about promoting his image. He has not done the work to increase the security and strength of the country," he added. Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi also held a roadshow in Assam's Jorhat on Tuesday. The Lok Sabha polls for 14 seats in Assam will be held in three phases starting on April 19. Out of this, five seats will go to the polls in the first phase of elections on April 19. BJP is contesting on 11 out of 14 seats in Assam, while its ally parties, Asom Gana Parishad (AGP), are contesting in two seats (Barpeta and Dhubri) and UPPL in one seat (Kokrajhar), respectively. Notably, the BJP has expanded its footprint in the state. From winning 5 seats in Assam in 2009, it has risen to 7 in 2014 and 9 in 2019. The party is also in power in the state since 2016. As the BJP aims to further expand its dominance, and Congress is trying to wrestle back power, it has made the 'Gogoi v Gogoi' contest in Jorhat interesting, with sitting BJP MP Topon Kumar Gogoi being up against Congress' challenger Gaurav Gogoi. (ANI)
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