Sarma’s rivalry with Gogoi is no secret and his cabinet colleagues also campaigned in Jorhat, making it clear that it was a prestige battle. While the Congress did not increase its tally in Assam, Gogoi’s victory by a margin of 1.44 lakh votes is being projected as a moral defeat for Sarma.
In an exclusive interview with THE WEEK, Gogoi said the results in Assam had far greater significance compared with 2019, and that it should be seen as the semifinal before the 2026 assembly elections. Gogoi, who was the deputy leader of the Congress in the outgoing Lok Sabha, also spoke about his expectation that a strong opposition would hold the government to account in the house. Excerpts:
Q/ Would you rate Jorhat as your toughest electoral battle?
A/ It has been the toughest moment not only politically, but professionally, even when I compare with the time before I joined politics. Although I expected victory, the margin was unexpected. The amount of affection I got was unexpected. While the polling percentage dropped in many seats, in Jorhat it shot up by two points. People said they travelled for miles to cast their vote. I met a person who had come from Dubai just to vote.
Q/ The chief minister himself focused a lot on Jorhat. Did his campaign backfire?
هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة June 23, 2024 من THE WEEK India.
ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 9,000 مجلة وصحيفة.
بالفعل مشترك ? تسجيل الدخول
هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة June 23, 2024 من THE WEEK India.
ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 9,000 مجلة وصحيفة.
بالفعل مشترك? تسجيل الدخول
William Dalrymple goes further back
Indian readers have long known William Dalrymple as the chronicler nonpareil of India in the early years of the British raj. His latest book, The Golden Road, is a striking departure, since it takes him to a period from about the third century BC to the 12th-13th centuries CE.
The bleat from the street
What with all the apps delivering straight to one’s doorstep, the supermarkets, the food halls and even the occasional (super-expensive) pop-up thela (cart) offering the woke from field-to-fork option, the good old veggie-market/mandi has fallen off my regular beat.
Courage and conviction
Justice A.M. Ahmadi's biography by his granddaughter brings out behind-the-scenes tension in the Supreme Court as it dealt with the Babri Masjid demolition case
EPIC ENTERPRISE
Gowri Ramnarayan's translation of Ponniyin Selvan brings a fresh perspective to her grandfather's magnum opus
Upgrade your jeans
If you don’t live in the top four-five northern states of India, winter means little else than a pair of jeans. I live in Mumbai, where only mad people wear jeans throughout the year. High temperatures and extreme levels of humidity ensure we go to work in mulmul salwars, cotton pants, or, if you are lucky like me, wear shorts every day.
Garden by the sea
When Kozhikode beach became a fertile ground for ideas with Manorama Hortus
RECRUITERS SPEAK
Industry requirements and selection criteria of management graduates
MORAL COMPASS
The need to infuse ethics into India's MBA landscape
B-SCHOOLS SHOULD UNDERSTAND THAT INDIAN ECONOMY IS GOING TO WITNESS A TREMENDOUS GROWTH
INTERVIEW - Prof DEBASHIS CHATTERJEE, director, Indian Institute of Management, Kozhikode
COURSE CORRECTION
India's best b-schools are navigating tumultuous times. Hurdles include lower salaries offered to their graduates and students misusing AI
