Sibsagar Assembly Election: Can Raijor Dal's Akhil Gogoi retain his seat amid tough triangular contest?

Sibsagar:

As Assam prepares for Assembly elections on April 9, Sibsagar remains one of the most politically sensitive and symbolically important constituencies in Upper Assam. With its deep historical roots, strong regional identity and a politically aware electorate, Sibsagar has consistently featured among the state's most closely watched seats. It is constituency number 96 of the Assam Legislative Assembly. The constituency is a general seat not reserved for Scheduled Castes (SCs) and Scheduled Tribes (STs). The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Congress, Asom Gana Parishad (AGP), United People's Party Liberal (UPPL), All India United Democratic Front (AIUDF), Bodoland People's Front (BPF) and the Communist Party of India (Marxist) (CPM) are the main parties in the state.

Sibsagar Assembly Election: Key candidates

Sibsagar was historically considered a stronghold of Congress, which enjoyed uninterrupted dominance for decades through a mix of loyalty among traditional Assamese voters and strong local leadership. However, the constituency witnessed a major shift in 2021 when noted activist Akhil Gogoi, contesting as an Independent backed by the Raijor Dal, won the seat. This time key candidates for the Sibsagar seat are Raijor Dal's Akhil Gogoi, BJP's Kushal Dowari, and AGP leader Prodip Hazarika.

Sibsagar Constituency Demographic Profile

As per data from the Election Commission, there were 1,26,061 voters in the Sibsagar constituency during the 2021 Assembly Elections. Out of this, 62,691 were male and 62,185 were female voters. None voters belonged to the third gender. 1,185 postal votes were cast in the constituency. The number of service voters in Sibsagar in 2021 was 412 (405 men and 7 women).

In 2016, the total number of voters in the Sibsagar constituency was 1,13,378. Out of this, 57,699 voters were male, 55,454 were female and none belonged to a third gender. There were 225 valid postal votes in the constituency. The number of service voters in Sibsagar in 2016 was 172 (111 men and 61 women).

Sibsagar Constituency 2021 and 2016 Winners (Candidates and Parties)

In the 2021 Assam Assembly Elections, Independent candidate Akhil Gogoi won the Sibsagar seat with a margin of 11,875 votes (9.59%). He polled 57,219 votes with a vote share of 46.06%. He defeated BJP candidate Surabhi Rajkonwari, who got 45,344 votes (36.5%). Congress candidate Subhramitra Gogoi stood third with 19,329 votes (15.56%).

In the 2016 Assam Assembly Elections, Congress candidate Pranab Kumar Gogoi won the Sibsagar seat with a margin of  542 votes (0.48%). He polled 48,584 votes with a vote share of 42.87%. BJP candidate Surabhi Rajkonwari got 48,042 votes (42.39%) and was the runner-up. Independent candidate Ashini Kumar Chetia stood third with 10,188 votes (8.99%).