Himanta’s stronghold Jalukbari set for high-stakes contest in Assam assembly elections

BJP’s citadel, Assam’s Jalukbari constituency, has been a fastness of Chief government minister Himanta Sarma for nearly 25 years. The constituency is among 126 seats sledding to the polls in this yr’s Assembly elections, with vote counting scheduled for May 4.Located in Assam’s Kamrup district, Jalukbari comes under the Gauhati Lok Sabha constituency. Sharma has held the constituency since 2001 and seeks to retain the seat for a sixth consecutive term.Voting was held in Assam on April 9 with a 85.27% voting percentage recorded from over 25 million voters till 5 pm.With 2 lakh voters across 247 polling stations, Jalukbari represents a mix of urban and semi-urban demographics, making it a crucial battleground. It was reshaped after the 2023 delimitation.The high-stakes battle will see BJP’s Himanta against Congress’s Bidisha Neog and independent candidate Dipika Das.Also read: From Jalukbari to Dispur: Key Assam constituencies set for high-stakes Congress vs BJP contestAssembly election 2021In 2021, assembly election CM Sarma won with 1,30,762 votes, securing 78.4 per cent of the total votes. He defeated Congress candidate Romen Chandra Borthakur, who received 28,851 votes.Overall in the state, BJP secured 60 seats with a 33.21 per cent vote share, while the Congress won 29 seats, garnering 29.67 per cent of the votes.Also read: Women voters outnumber men in turnout across Assam, Kerala and Puducherry elections: ECIBJP's Himanta vs Congress's BidishaJalukbari, is set for a showdown between the seasoned leader Himanta and a newcomer, Bidisha Neog. Since becoming the chief minister, Sarma has cultivated an image of a decisive, welfare-oriented leader.He has also projected himself as a protector of indigenous Assamese interests through campaigns and eviction drives. While Himanta comes with 3 decades of experience, this is the first time the 57-year-old is contesting as a sitting chief minister.Bidisha Neog, on the other hand, is a 34-year-old newcomer aiming to create a fresh narrative through grassroots engagement and clear ideological positioning. Her campaign included door-to-door outreach, small meetings, and direct engagement with voters.The BJP is contesting the elections in alliance with the Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) and the Bodoland People's Front (BPF). Chief Minister Himanta, who is seeking re-election from Jalukbari, voted at the Garal Buniyadi LP school in Kamrup district, along with his family, earlier on April 9.