Campaign heats up in Barhampur, Nagaon-Batadroba as key battles take shape

Nagaon, April 2: The candidates of major political parties including the ruling BJP alliance as well as the opposition alliance have intensified their election campaign in Barhampur and Nagaon-Batadroba Assembly constituencies right after the completion of the nominations process.

A total of five candidates are in the fray in the prestigious Barhampur Assembly constituency this time. The NDA has fielded the sitting BJP MLA of the constituency for the second time while the opposition alliance projected former senior BJP leader Rajen Gohain under Assam Jatiya Parishad's ticket in the constituency. Besides, AAP has fielded Ranumai Terangpi and AIUDF projected Mojibur Rahman while one Najrul Islam is in the fray as an independent candidate in the constituency.

As per opinions of the conscious voters as well as other political observers, the main contest will be between BJP candidate Jitu Goswami and AJP candidate Rajen Gohain.

It's pertinent to mention that the Barhampur constituency is a cathedral of regional politics and the constituency had been consecutively held by Asom Gana Parishad (AGP)

AGP minister Girindra Kumar Baruah won Barhampur seat as an AGP MLA for the first time in 1985. Subsequently, former Chief Minister Prafulla Kumar Mahanta had consecutively retained the seat from 1991 to 2021.

But in 2021, during seat sharing negotiations, due to the strategic and diplomatic failure of AGP leadership, AGP had to hand over the constituency to its alliance partner BJP.

As a result, former Chief Minister PK Mahanta's candidature in the constituency was denied referring to health issues of PK Mahanta and NDA leadership projected Jitu Goswami on a BJP ticket for the first time in the constituency amidst strong objection of the grassroots AGP workers and supporters. Jitu Goswami won the seat with a narrow margin of over 700 votes in 2021 Assembly polls.

It's often been alleged by many old BJP as well as AGP workers that soon after the victory, the incumbent MLA of the constituency had scarcely given time to listen to their grievances during his last tenure.

Many of the grassroots workers of the ruling alliance opined that such a resentment would definitely play a pivotal role in the up-coming Assembly polls in the constituency.

A total of 3 20 471 including 1,14,711 male, 1,15,751 female as well as 9 transgender voters will exercise their franchise this time in the constituency. The Barhampur Assembly constituency consists of over 74,000 Muslim, 40,000 plus tea tribe and other schedule tribes and the rest indigenous Assamese Hindu and Bengali community voters.

On the other hand, the main contest in the prestigious Nagaon-Batadroba Assembly constituency, will be between the incumbent MLA of the constituency and BJP candidate Rupak Sarma and the op-position Congress candidate and former Congress MLA Dr Durlav Chamua. Only three candidates including BJP candidate Rupak Sarma, Congress candidate Dr Durlav Chamua and SUCI candidate Barnali Sarma are in the fray this time in Nagaon-Batadroba Assembly constituency.

BJP candidate and incumbent MLA Rupak Sarma is a popular and dynamic among all those three candidates and during his last two consecutive tenures as a public representative in the constituency, he has already built a strong friendship with most voters.

Being a cultural activist, Sarma has erected a bridge of friendship between the voters and himself with his politeness as well as his amiable nature.

People of the constituency have witnessed an unexpected journey of development across the constituency during his tenure. Similarly, Congress candidate Dr Durlav Chamua, who also had served the people of the constituency for a term as a local MLA, has also close association with voters.

Majority of people of Nagaon-Batadroba Assembly constituency have had witnessed his work for the society across the constituency.

A total of 1,97,284 including 95,348 male, 101930 female and 6 transgender will decide the fate of those three in Nagaon. Following the re-cent delimitation, the constituency consists of around 55,000 Muslim, around 45,000 Bengali-speaking and 12,000 to 15,000 Hindi-speaking and the rest indigenous Hindu Assamese and tribal voters.