Hitendra Nath Goswami made Gaurav Gogoi bite dust in Jorhat

Veteran BJP leader Hitendra Nath Goswami on Monday registered a significant victory, defeating Assam Congress president Gaurav Gogoi by over 23,000 votes in Jorhat.

A seasoned politician with more than three-and-a-half decades in state politics, Goswami’s low-key, grassroots-focused campaign paid dividends as he secured his sixth term in the assembly.

His win also halted Gogoi’s debut attempt to enter the State Assembly, with the Congress leader currently serving as a third-term MP from Jorhat in the Lok Sabha.

The 67-year-old leader relied on his extensive organisational experience and voter outreach to retain the seat for the BJP, largely staying away from media glare during the campaign.

A postgraduate in Chemistry and a trained lawyer, Goswami began his political journey during the Assam Agitation as a student activist before joining the Asom Gana Parishad (AGP).

He was elected thrice consecutively from the Jorhat Assembly constituency as an AGP candidate starting in 1991 and served as a minister in the AGP-led government between 1996 and 2001.

After parting ways with the AGP over differences with its leadership, he joined the BJP in 2014. Goswami won the Jorhat seat in 2016 and retained it in subsequent elections. He also served as Speaker of the Assembly during his initial term as a BJP MLA.