Dibrugarh: In one of Assam’s most politically storied constituencies, the stage is set for a rematch that has become a defining electoral rivalry.The Golaghat assembly seat will once again witness a face-off between its two most familiar contestants — incumbent state finance minister and BJP MLA Ajanta Neog and Congress challenger Bitupan Saikia — with Independent candidate Rubul Borah being the only other name in the fray.But this is far more than a routine electoral contest.It is a battle involving Assam’s longest-serving woman legislator, a political dynasty that has shaped Golaghat for decades, and a constituency that has repeatedly defied party labels to back one remarkable woman — irrespective of which political banner she has contested under.Ajanta’s electoral record is without parallel among women legislators in Assam’s history. The 62-year-old has won from Golaghat five consecutive times — in 2001, 2006, 2011, 2016 and 2021 — making her the longest-serving female MLA the state has ever produced. What makes her story even more extraordinary is that she has achieved this feat under two different party flags, winning under Congress banner in 2001, 2006, 2011 and 2016 before switching to BJP, under whose flag she triumphed again in 2021.Her political lineage runs deep. Her mother, Rebati Das of Congress, made history as the first-ever MLA of the Jalukbari assembly constituency in 1972 — a seat now represented by CM Himanta Biswa Sarma. Her husband, Nagen Neog, was a two-time Congress MLA from Golaghat itself, winning in 1983 and 1991, and served as a minister before he was killed by Ulfa militants in 1996. Together, the Neog family has won seven of the 11 assembly elections ever held in Golaghat — Ajanta winning five and Nagen two — an extraordinary dynasty by any measure.Ironically, the current electoral rivalry between Ajanta and Bitupan is a product of a remarkable political role reversal. In 2016, Ajanta — then a Congress candidate — defeated Bitupan of BJP by 5,213 votes, with Ajanta polling 73,862 votes against Bitupan’s 68,649. Both subsequently switched parties, and in 2021, Ajanta — now wearing the BJP’s saffron — defeated Bitupan — now the Congress candidate — by a wider margin of 9,325 votes, garnering 81,651 votes to Bitupan’s 72,326.“Golaghat has always judged me by my work, not by the party symbol I carry. That trust is what I have spent every term trying to honour,” Ajanta said.On the ground, Ajanta’s most visible legacy is Golaghat’s road infrastructure — widely regarded as among the finest in all of Assam — a tangible symbol of her long tenure and administrative influence as a former PWD minister.“The roads in Golaghat speak for themselves. Development is not a promise here — it is a reality that people can see, use and feel every day,” she said.However, one persistent challenge continues to trouble pockets of the constituency — severe river erosion caused by the Dhansiri, which has displaced families and damaged agricultural land, remaining an unresolved concern for residents.Historically, Golaghat has been a Congress stronghold, with the party winning six of the eleven elections held in the constituency. The AGP has won twice, while BJP, Janata Party and Socialist Party have one win each.As polling day draws near, the key question facing Golaghat voters is whether Ajanta’s formidable personal legacy, infrastructural track record and ministerial stature will once again prove stronger than the Congress’s bid for a comeback through a candidate who knows both sides of this rivalry all too well.
