Congress's Gaurav Gogoi likely to lose from Jorhat hot seat: Exit poll

BJP candidate Topon Kumar Gogoi has emerged as a strong candidate against Congress's Gaurav Gogoi in the prestige battle of Jorhat and is likely to win the Lok Sabha seat, according to the India Today-Axis My India exit poll.

The seat in Assam voted in the first phase of the 2024 Lok Sabha poll where the incumbent MP, Topon Kumar faced the Congress's deputy leader in Lok Sabha, Gaurav Gogoi.

Congress's Kaliabor MP Gaurav Gogoi switched to Jorhat after the recent delimitation exercise in the northeastern state.

In 2019, BJP's Topon Kumar Gogoi defeated Sushanta Borgohain by a margin of 82,000 votes. Earlier in 2014, BJP's Kamakhya Prasad Tasa defeated Bijoy Krishna Handique by a margin of one lakh. Handique has held the Lok Sabha seat since 1991.

No other seat in Assam was as interesting as Jorhat in the 2024 Lok Sabha election as the seat sent Gaurav Gogoi's father, Tarun Gogoi, to the Lok Sabha twice. Tarun Gogoi, who was the chief minister of Assam, also won from Titabor Assemby seat, which is part of the Jorhat Lok Sabha constituency.

Jorhat, with a significant Ahom population, and both Gaurav Gogoi and his BJP opponent, Topon Gogoi, hailing from the Ahom community, made it a more interesting contest.

The BJP, led by Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, relied heavily on its robust organisational strength and the popularity of its welfare schemes under Prime Minister Narendra Modi to retain its influence. The contest was made personal by Himanta Biswa Sarma, who had a storied history with Tarun Gogoi, the former Assam CM.