Pranab Barpatragohain plans to start a restaurant on his plot opposite the entrance gate of an under-construction park sporting Meleng-Hollongapar’s newest landmark — the Statue of Valour.
The 125-foot statue depicts Lachit Borphukan, the iconic Ahom general revered for leading the Battle of Saraighat in 1671 to prevent the Mughal army from occupying Assam. The park encompasses the maidam, or earthen pyramid, where he was buried after the battle.
“The park and the statue are expected to attract visitors and boost business in the neighbourhood,” said Mr. Barpatragohain.
“This statue may change the face of our area, but it should have been inaugurated after completion, ” said one of his neighbours, giving his name only as Gohain.
Divided opinions
Opinions about the Statue of Valour, inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on March 9, are perhaps as divided as the support for the two top candidates — BJP’s Topon Kumar Gogoi, who is eyeing a second successive term; and challenger Gaurav Gogoi of the Congress. The latter had won the 2019 Lok Sabha election from the adjoining Kaliabor seat, which metamorphosed into Kaziranga after the 2023 delimitation exercise.
The nerve centre of the constituency is the elite Jorhat town, said to be Assam’s tea capital because of the surrounding plantations, about 300 km east of Guwahati. The park is almost as far from the eastern edge of the town along NH-715 as the Sukhapha Samannay Kshetra is from its western edge.
Ahom pride
Dedicated to Swargadeo (or emperor) Sukapha, who came from China’s Yunnan to establish the Ahom dynasty that ruled Assam for 600 years until the British takeover in the 1800s, this represents Ahom pride as much as the Lachit statue park. But while the park is perceived to have a BJP stamp, the Kshetra is associated with the Congress. Former CM and Mr. Gaurav’s father, the late Tarun Gogoi, laid its foundation in December 2015.
The Ahom community, to which the Gogois belong, make up the majority of voters in the Jorhat constituency, and are believed to have a soft corner for Mr. Gaurav.
Catering to the aspirations of the Ahoms, one of six communities demanding Scheduled Tribe status, is crucial for political parties, especially as the Sivasagar and Charaideo districts form half the constituency. These districts comprised the core of the erstwhile Ahom kingdom.
Understandably, the BJP and the Congress have both fielded Ahom candidates from Jorhat. Of the remaining two in the fray, Independent Arun Chandra Handique is also an Ahom.
The second largest chunk of Jorhat voters are the Adivasis or tea plantation workers, believed to have switched their loyalty from the Congress to the BJP. “Our party will retain the seat because of the support from the ‘tea tribes’ ,” Mr. Topon said.
Mr. Gaurav dismisses the “myth” that the Adivasis have gravitated toward the BJP. “The voters know that we unite people, and that we stand for a dignified brand of politics,” he said.
The Congress is aware of the damage two of its former local leaders — Sushanta Buragohain, an Ahom; and Rupjyoti Kuri, an Adivasi — could inflict. Both won the 2021 Assembly election on Congress tickets, but then quit to be re-elected as BJP legislators.
The BJP has pulled out all stops to prevent the Congress from reclaiming the Jorhat seat after 20 years. Two State Ministers have been posted to steer the party’s campaign and Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, who calls Jorhat town his birthplace, has been touring the constituency extensively.
Winning Jorhat is said to be a prestige issue for Dr. Sarma. He left the Congress and joined the BJP in 2015, reportedly because Mr. Gaurav Gogoi was being groomed to be his father’s successor in the party.
Despite the claims and counter-claims, the “battle of the Ahoms ”in Jorhat is expected to be a close one. What could give the BJP an edge is the ‘island’ district of Majuli, a post-delimitation addition to the Jorhat constituency. The caste Assamese and the Mising tribe, who dominate this island which is often referred to as Assam’s spiritual capital, have largely voted for the BJP in the last few elections.
