The esteemed Guwahati parliamentary constituency in Assam is once again at the center of a significant political showdown between two formidable women candidates fielded by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Congress.
Guwahati, synonymous with the largest urban centre in the Northeast, is among the four seats in Assam polling in the third phase of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections today.
The voting for the other 10 constituencies in the state was held in the initial two phases on April 19 and April 26.
The BJP has nominated Bijuli Kalita Medhi after replacing its sitting MP Queen Oja, while the Congress has put forth Mira Borthakur Goswami. Goswami, who served in the saffron party for several years before being expelled in 2018, is now one of the strongest critics of the BJP and a prominent leader of the Congress, which she joined in 2021.
Both Goswami and Medhi are political debutants, adding an extra layer of intrigue to the electoral contest.
BJP's Bijuli Kalita Medhi, a 45-year-old with a low profile despite her long-standing affiliation with the party since 1998, is vying for victory in the prestigious Guwahati Lok Sabha seat.
Medhi, a postgraduate from Gauhati University, has held various positions within the BJP, including serving as the Deputy Mayor representing the party in 2016.
She aims to leverage the popularity of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the BJP's track record to secure victory against her Congress counterpart.
On the other hand, Mira Borthakur Goswami of the Congress, aged 51, eyes becoming the first Congress woman to clinch the prestigious Guwahati seat.
Joining the Congress after her expulsion from the BJP in 2018, Goswami has been a vocal critic of the BJP's policies, particularly regarding the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA).
She asserts that the people of Guwahati are ready to reject the divisive politics propagated by the BJP and uphold democracy and the Constitution.
The electoral battleground of Guwahati, comprising 10 Assembly segments and boasting over 20.19 lakh electors, has witnessed significant political contests in the past, including the 2019 elections where BJP's Queen Oja triumphed over her Congress counterpart Bobbeeta Sarma by a substantial margin of over 3.45 lakh votes.
With more than 50% female voters and a notable presence of first-time voters between 18 and 19 years of age, Guwahati remains a crucial constituency in Assam's political landscape.
In the upcoming 2024 Lok Sabha elections, eight candidates are vying for the Guwahati seat, with the main contest unfolding between the BJP and the Congress.
Alongside Bijuli Kalita Medhi and Mira Borthakur Goswami, other contenders include Amitabh Sarma from Ekam Sanatan Bharat Dal, Shejon Goyary from Bahujan Maha Party, Dipak Boro from Voters Party International, Samad Choudhury from Bharatiya Gana Parishad, and independents Kazi Nekib Ahmed and Colonel Gokul Chandra Singha.
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