Counting of votes for the 126-member Assam Assembly began at 8 am on Monday, 4th May, and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is heading towards a massive victory. The BJP is currently leading in 82 seats, while its allies AGP and BPF are leading in 19 seats, resulting in NDA crossing the 100-seat mark in the 126-seat house. With a high voter turnout of 85.38%, this election has turned into a one-sided contest, with Congress lagging far behind.
One of the biggest results in this election has come from Jorhat, where Assam Congress president Gaurav Gogoi has lost by a huge margin. Gogoi, who is currently a Member of Parliament from Jorhat and contested his first Assembly election this time, was defeated by the BJP’s sitting MLA Hitendra Nath Goswami.
#ElectionsWithMC | 🚨In a big setback for Congress, its key candidate Gaurav Gogoi has been defeated by BJP's Hitendra Nath Goswami by a margin of over 23,000 votes in the Jorhat constituency.#Congress #GauravGogoi #BJP pic.twitter.com/3QTFyPkCyg
— Moneycontrol (@moneycontrolcom) May 4, 2026
According to official data of the ECI, Goswami secured 69,439 votes, while Gogoi managed 46,257 votes after 14 rounds of counting. This means Gogoi lost by a margin of 23,182 votes, which is being seen as a major setback for the Congress in Assam. The other two candidates got less than 1000 votes each, making it a two-front contest.
Why Jorhat was important
Jorhat was a key battleground for Congress. The constituency lies in the Ahom heartland, and Gogoi’s candidature was seen as a strategic move to strengthen Congress in Upper Assam. Being the son of former Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi, and the MP from Jorhat Lok Sabha constituency, he was also expected to carry forward his political legacy.
Jorhat Decides
— India Today NE (@IndiaTodayNE) May 4, 2026
Congress leader Gaurav Gogoi loses Jorhat by a margin of 23,182 votes as BJP seals a decisive victory.
A major setback for Congress in Assam as counting concludes with a clear mandate.#Jorhat #AssamElections #BJP #Congress #GauravGogoi pic.twitter.com/RRj55qEnAs
The Congress had even tried to build a broader alliance by joining hands with leaders like Akhil Gogoi and Lurinjyoti Gogoi, creating what was called the “3G alliance.” However, this strategy failed to challenge the strong hold of Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma and the BJP.
Who is Hitendra Nath Goswami?
The winning candidate, Hitendra Nath Goswami, is a seasoned politician. He has been representing Jorhat since 2016 and earlier served as the Speaker of the Assam Legislative Assembly from 2017 to 2021. Before joining the BJP in 2014, he was part of the Asom Gana Parishad (AGP). His strong local presence and consistent performance helped him secure another win.
Meanwhile, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma is leading comfortably from the Jalukbari constituency. He has secured 1,12,995 votes so far and is ahead by over 80,000 votes against Congress candidate Bidisha Neog.
In Guwahati Central, BJP’s Vijay Kumar Gupta is also leading strongly with 84,775 votes, maintaining a big margin over his rival Kunki Chwdhury, who was targeted by the CM for her social media posts about consuming beef.
Overall, the BJP’s dominance is clearly visible, with the party leading in 59 seats and already winning 23, taking its tally to 82. Congress, on the other hand, is struggling with leads in just 20 seats and no confirmed wins yet. This means, under Gaurav Gogoi’s leadership, Congress has been reduced from 29 wins in 2021 to just 20 in 2026. Several party leaders defected to BJP ahead of the elections, contributing to the loss.
Notably, out of 20 Congress candidates who are leading in the trends, 19 are Muslims. Nandita Das from Hajo-Sualkuchi is set to be the lone Hindu Congress MLA, if she wins the elections.
