In a significant victory, Congress leader Gaurav Gogoi has emerged as the new voice for the Jorhat Lok Sabha constituency, overcoming a vigorous BJP campaign led by Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma. This election marked Gaurav’s first contest without the guiding presence of his father, the late Tarun Gogoi, a revered figure in Assam’s political landscape. With the Assam Assembly elections on the horizon in 2026, we delve into the implications of this victory, the challenges ahead and the vision for the future. In this exclusive interview with three-time Congress MP Gaurav Gogoi, Firstpost discusses the dynamics of the recent election, the strategies of the BJP and the Congress party’s roadmap to regain power in Assam. Edited excerpts:
Congratulations on your election victory. This was your first election without your father and you faced a vigorous campaign from the Assam BJP leadership led by Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma. Given these circumstances, do you feel that the campaign against you was more personal than political due to the chief minister’s past differences with your father?
That is a question for him to answer. My entire campaign centered around Jorhat, its people and its aspirations. Majuli was included in the Jorhat Lok Sabha Constituency (in the latest delimitation exercise). It was very important for me to travel to all parts of the constituency and make my campaign about the people of Jorhat and their aspirations. For me, it was never a personal issue. I do not know why the BJP’s chief minister and their ministers campaigned the way they did. I can only say that their campaign ended up benefitting me and the Congress party much more than they would have thought.
If we look at the election results, you did quite well in all the 11 Assembly constituencies that fall under the Jorhat Lok Sabha constituency, except for Majuli. What do you think was the reason for the discrepancy in Majuli? I also saw you celebrating your victory there after the results were announced. Was that a specific message you wanted to convey?
I was expecting to do well in the election, but the margin has surprised me. I did not expect to lead in all constituencies. Therefore, the Majuli result is as per our initial expectations. It is only in the other constituencies where we have performed beyond our expectations. I’m quite satisfied with the results in Majuli because that is an Assembly election seat where we previously lost by more than 20,000-25,000 votes. We have reduced the margin to 7,000, which I consider a significant achievement.
Majuli is one of the most important centres of Vaishnavite Hinduism and holds a special place in people’s hearts. I think the BJP committed a huge error by distributing money to different temples and Namghars (Assamese prayer halls). It pushed people away from the BJP. This election is a victory of the public over money and authoritarianism. Now, as a newly elected MP, my aim is to travel the length and breadth of the Jorhat Lok Sabha constituency and work on the issues identified during the campaign.
Regarding the appointment of Pabitra Margherita as Minister of State, were you surprised by this decision? Do you believe it’s part of the BJP’s strategy to introduce a new Ahom face in Assam? There are speculations that he has been positioned as a rival to you. What’s your take on this?
That is the plan of the BJP. Who the BJP decides to induct into the cabinet is their prerogative. For us, as the INDI Alliance, we will continue to raise the issues of students, farmers in the North East and Manipur. We will fulfill our responsibilities and have already raised the issue of NEET. We will continue to raise the issue of disturbances in Manipur. People in Jorhat expect improvements in highways between Teok and Sivasagar. That is our focus. Who the BJP inducts is not a concern for us.
In a recent interview with PTI, you mentioned that your job is only half done. With the Assam Assembly elections coming up in 2026, do you believe the Congress has a strong chance of regaining power in the state?
We have received a lot of support from the people in this election. People in the Dhubri Lok Sabha constituency defeated AIUDF chief Maulana Badruddin Ajmal and have given a resounding defeat to AIUDF across Assam. Even in Jorhat, where the chief minister campaigned himself, the people still made the Congress party win with a huge margin of 1.44 lakh votes. There is tremendous momentum and goodwill for the Congress party. Our hope is to capitalize on this, learn from it and continue building our support among the youth of Assam. If we work collectively and in the right direction, the people will give us a mandate in 2026.
This election, it’s been said that you almost won single-handedly, with only a brief visit from Priyanka Gandhi to Jorhat. Given the momentum you’ve created, do you think the state leadership in Assam is prepared to capitalize on this victory? A stronger state leadership is essential, isn’t it?
The Congress party did not win only in Jorhat. It has won in Dhubri, where the people gave the highest margin to our candidate Rakibul Hussain. The AIUDF put up candidates in Nagaon and Karimganj, but our candidates got a lot of support among traditional AIUDF voters in these seats. Even in Guwahati, our candidate Mira Borthakur did extremely well, as did our candidate in Kaziranga. We got significant support from our opposition alliance, the local regional party, and civil society. Therefore, Jorhat should not be looked at in isolation. It is a symbol of people’s disenchantment with the current PPP government led by Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma. Across the 14 Lok Sabha seats in Assam, many indicators show that the Congress party has done well. People are with us continue to work 100 per cent with our total effort and commitment.
Your father Tarun Gogoi, who served three terms as chief minister, was extremely popular and known as the people’s chief minister. Do you envision yourself occupying the same position in the future with the love and blessings of the people?
Whatever I have learned in politics is from my father. In our philosophy, people are the king and we are here for public service, not personal gain. Those are the values I will continue to abide by in the days to come. I am grateful for the support given to me by the people and I will do my best to live up to their expectations.
What will be your role in the Lok Sabha now that the Congress has more seats and a much stronger opposition compared to 2014 and 2019? What do you see as Congress’ role and what will be your specific responsibilities?
That is for the party leadership to decide. Personally, I have expressed that I would like to see Rahul Gandhi take on the role of Leader of the Opposition. He has led the Congress party from a very vulnerable position three years ago, especially since he started his Bharat Jodo Yatra from Kanyakumari. From there, he has taken the party to this stage where he won the Rae Bareli Lok Sabha constituency in Uttar Pradesh with a much bigger margin than what Prime Minister Modi got in his seat in Varanasi. For us, Rahul Gandhi continues to lead Congress’ philosophy towards protecting democracy, the Constitution, economic justice, and social justice. We hope he will accept our request to take the position of Leader of the Opposition. Yet, of course, he will await the final decision of the Congress Parliamentary Party.
On which issues do you think the Congress will primarily focus to challenge the government?
As of now, the entire country is saying that the NEET scam is being completely avoided by the BJP. They are trying to cover up the entire scam. But the Congress party stands with the young people of India with the 24 lakh aspirants. We will seek justice for them and hope that the counseling process is not rushed through. A comprehensive investigation under the Supreme Court should take place for the counselling.
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