Political Desk: Who will be the BJP candidate from the 61 No. Raha Assembly Constituency — Congress MLA Shashikanta Das or youth leader Sanjib Hazarika? Will MLA Shashikanta Das join AGP or BJP? If Utpal Bania, whose security deposit was forfeited in the previous election, gets the Congress ticket, will he be able to stop the BJP or AGP candidate? If AGP leader Bishnuprasad Das gets the ticket, will the dissident group within AGP accept him as a candidate? These questions have become the main topic of discussion in the 61 No. Raha Assembly Constituency. From tea stalls to street corners, these questions dominate conversations among party workers and voters.
AGP and BJP Both Actively Seeking the Ticket
Both ruling alliance partners, AGP and BJP, have begun active efforts to secure the Raha constituency ticket. However, it is still not clear which party in the ruling alliance will definitively get the ticket. According to AGP leaders and workers, as in the previous election, AGP will get the Raha ticket this time as well. On the other hand, BJP leaders and workers claim that BJP — not AGP — will contest from Raha and win the seat. At present, it is difficult to say who will ultimately get the ticket. This is especially because the BJP–AGP alliance government has not yet finalized seat-sharing for all 126 Assembly constituencies for the next election.
BJP Stronger Than AGP
In the Raha Assembly Constituency, BJP has a much stronger organizational base than AGP. Moreover, in the recent Panchayat election results, BJP secured a significant number of Panchayats, strengthening its position. On this basis, BJP has demanded that the Assembly ticket from Raha be allotted to a BJP candidate.
Barhampur Constituency Complicates AGP’s Prospects in Raha
AGP’s organizational base in Raha is weaker than BJP’s. Even so, AGP hopes to cross the electoral hurdle by relying on BJP’s support. According to sources, in the AGP–BJP seat-sharing discussions, AGP has included Raha on its list. However, recent developments suggest that the Barhampur Assembly Constituency has complicated AGP’s position in Raha.
Among Nagaon district constituencies, BJP won Nagaon Sadar and Barhampur, and AGP won Kaliabor, while Congress won Dhings, Rupohihat, and Raha. In this context, AGP has demanded the Barhampur constituency as well in order to increase its seat share. Since BJP had taken over Barhampur from AGP in 2021, BJP leaders assert that if AGP insists on Barhampur, then Raha will almost certainly go to BJP.
AGP sources, however, argue that alliance seat-sharing involves an understanding regarding reserved constituencies. There are currently nine Scheduled Caste reserved Assembly seats in Assam, two of which are in Central Assam — Jagiroad in Morigaon district and Raha in Nagaon district. Jagiroad is almost certainly going to minister Pijush Hazarika, so according to alliance logic, Raha should go to AGP.
On the other hand, internal BJP sources say that AGP will find it difficult to get Barhampur because BJP MLA Jitu Goswami is a strong leader there. BJP is also unwilling to give up Raha, which it considers a potential seat, as it does not want to lose another constituency to AGP. As a result, BJP has created uncertainty around AGP’s prospects.
Internal Conflict Within AGP
Internal conflict within the AGP camp in Raha has further complicated matters. In the last Assembly election, AGP candidate Bishnuprasad Das contested and lost (Raha Assembly Seat Battle). After the election, he remained largely absent from the constituency for a long time. Now, ahead of the upcoming election, Bishnuprasad Das has begun preparations to seek AGP’s ticket again.
However, a large number of AGP workers in the constituency are unhappy with him. They have even sent complaint letters against Bishnuprasad Das to the party’s central leadership. As a result, AGP finds itself in confusion due to internal dissent, despite multiple aspirants seeking the ticket.
Strong Contender: Youth Leader Sanjib Hazarika
Notably, among BJP ticket aspirants in Raha, youth leader and central committee member Sanjib Hazarika is leading. He was also a strong contender in 2016 and 2021 but did not receive the ticket. Despite this, he has remained actively involved in party organizational work. Over the years, his sustained grassroots work has made him popular among voters in the constituency.
Will MLA Shashikanta Das Join AGP or BJP?
The sitting MLA, Shashikanta Das, is also a BJP ticket aspirant, although he has not formally joined BJP yet. He is currently working in the constituency as a BJP functionary. At the same time, there is speculation that Shashikanta Das may join AGP and contest as an AGP candidate. Due to the lack of clarity about his political affiliation, both the MLA and his supporters are in a state of confusion.
Utpal Bania, Who Lost His Deposit, Seeks Congress Ticket
The Congress party has also started preparations in Raha. Since Shashikanta Das won as a Congress candidate in 2021 and later supported the BJP camp, the Congress organization in the constituency has been left rudderless.
Recently, businessman Utpal Bania joined Congress and was appointed as district Congress secretary, after which he began organizational activities. However, discussions have emerged alleging that Bania joined Congress purely for electoral ambition after suffering a humiliating defeat in the last election as an Assam Jatiya Parishad candidate.
Some Congress workers in the constituency do not trust Bania. They argue that after winning, Shashikanta Das abandoned party workers and sided with BJP, and there is a fear that even if Utpal Bania wins, he too might later align with BJP. Moreover, in the last Assembly election, Utpal Bania secured only 5,616 votes, resulting in the forfeiture of his security deposit. This has raised questions about whether such a weak candidate can strongly challenge the BJP.
Meanwhile, apart from Utpal Bania, Jyoti Prasad Saikia, Asim Kumar Das, Mukut Bhuyan, and Surajit Das have also submitted applications at Rajiv Bhavan, claiming Congress tickets.
Will History Be Broken in Raha?
It is noteworthy that since 1996, except for MLA Gahin Das, no party or MLA has managed to retain the Raha seat for a second consecutive term. Can anyone break this history, or will history repeat itself once again? That will only be clear in time.
Speculation also continues over whether, if AGP gets the Raha seat, the candidate will be AGP central vice-president Bishnu Das or sitting MLA Shashikanta Das. Similarly, if BJP gets the seat, it remains uncertain whether Sanjib Hazarika or Shashikanta Das will be the BJP candidate.
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