Akhil Gogoi Only Key Opposition Leader to Retain Assam Seat in 2026 Polls
Akhil Gogoi Only Key Opposition Leader to Retain Assam Seat

Guwahati: Raijor Dal president Akhil Gogoi is the only prominent opposition leader in Assam who managed to win the assembly polls and retain his seat, according to the Election Commission on Monday.

Election Results 2026

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Gogoi Retains Sibsagar

Gogoi retained Sibsagar for the second consecutive term, defeating BJP's Kushal Dowari by 17,272 votes. The opposition leader polled 86,521 votes compared to Dowari's 69,249.

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Background of Akhil Gogoi

Gogoi, who floated Raijor Dal in October 2020, was a prominent face of the Anti-Citizenship (Amendment) Act agitation of Assam. Arrested in December 2019 during the protests, he was charged under UAPA and spent 567 days in jail. He contested the 2021 Assembly polls from custody and won Sibsagar as an Independent. He became the first Assamese to win an election despite remaining behind bars and without any physical campaigning. Gogoi also became the first in Assam Assembly to take oath as a prisoner MLA, coming out of jail on a special permission by court.

Political Stance

After his release from jail in 2021, he joined the Assembly and started opposing the BJP government's policies. On many occasions, he directly confronted Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, resulting in a heated exchange of words. Gogoi opposed the BJP government on CAA, alleged fake encounters, evictions of minorities and privatisation of resources. He remains a key dissenting figure in Assam politics, blending peasant activism with legislative work on land rights, tribal issues and civil liberties.

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