• Source:JND
HighLights
  1. CM Himanta Sarma and Gaurav Gogoi locked in fierce personal rivalry.
  2. Allegations include mafia links, financial irregularities, and Pakistan connections.
  3. Rivalry stems from Tarun Gogoi's legacy and past political ambitions.

Himanta vs Gogoi: The ongoing campaign for the April 9 Assam Assembly elections 2026 is witnessing an interesting personal rivalry between two prime faces - Chief Minister and Bharatiya Janata Party leader, Himanta Biswa Sarma and Assam Congress president Gaurav Gogoi. Both friends turned foes are launching personal attacks against each other. The revelry took centre stage in the high-stakes elections in the northeastern state.

Gogoi, who is contesting for the first time in the state election, hit out at CM Sarma, alleging his links with the stone, coal and areca nut mafia in the state. Speaking to reporters in Karbi Anglong on Thursday, Gogoi said people of Assam will no longer accept as leaders those involved in mafia activities.

ALSO READ: Assam Elections 2026: With Nearly 40% Population, Could Muslim Voters Be Kingmakers In Polls? Explained

On the other hand, Sarma, while speaking to reporters in Golaghat, said it would be better for him (Gogoi) to go to Pakistan.

Assam's local newspapers are filled with such personal attacks shot by the two tallest leaders in the state, in which they called each other a 'land mafia' and a 'Pakistani agent'.

Why Is The Election A Personal Battle For Sarma And Gogoi?

This is the first time that Sarma and Gogoi locked themselves in a poll battle. Congress gave the party reins to Gogoi, reposing its faith in his ability and family legacy. On the other hand, the BJP made Sarma the de facto party's supreme leader in the state after sending Sarbananda Sonowal to Delhi. On several occasions, Sarma displayed his pain for not being given the chief minister post during Gaurav's father, Tarun Gogoi's rule.

ALSO READ: Assam Elections 2026: Decoding Himanta Biswa Sarma's Popularity In Northeastern State

Sarma was Tarun Gogoi's closest and most trusted lieutenant during Congress rule in Assam. He was seen as Tarun Gogoi's successor, but things started going wrong when his son, junior Gogoi, came into the picture, giving a blow to Sarma's CM ambition. As Gogoi's stature grew in the party under his father's rule, the resentment led Sarma to quit the Congress and join the BJP ahead of polls in 2015.

Recently, Sarma claimed that former Congress president Sonia Gandhi offered him the CM post in 2014, when 58 MLAs supported him, but Rahul Gandhi's intervention went against him. Himanta called it a "betrayal."

Fight Tarun Gogoi's Legacy

The rivalry is also seen as nepotism vs talent. Till Sarma was in Congress, he was seen as Tarun Gogoi's de facto political heir. Even today, people think that Sarma carries the true legacy of Tarun Gogoi, as he has taken away a huge chunk of the grand old party's vote bank to the BJP. However, Gaurav calls himself the heir to Tarun Gogoi's legacy.

Personal Attacks

Sarma linked Gaurav Gogoi's British wife, Elizabeth Colburn Gogoi, to Pakistan. The chief minister alleged that she received salaries from a Pakistan-based NGO. He also said that Tarun Gogoi's grandchildren are not Indian citizens. The Assam government conducted an SIT probe into the Pakistan link. On the SIT report, Sarma said Gogoi's wife shared confidential information with Pakistan. He claimed that the allegations are serious in nature and must be probed by a central agency.

On the other hand, Gogoi alleged that Sarma's wife, Riniki Bhuyan Sarma, and her company received undue subsidy from the Central government, which he claimed was a conflict of interest and financial irregularity. The CM and his wife rejected the allegations.


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