Jorhat Lok Sabha constituency - Know your candidates, population, polling percentage, last elections results

Jorhat is one of the 14 Lok Sabha constituencies in Assam, situated on the upper Assam of Brahmaputra valley. The 2024 Lok Sabha elections eyes Jorhat as a major contender with its demographics, and past electoral trends.

As of the 2011 India census, 1,092,256 residents are there in Jorhat, almost equal to the nation of Cyprus or the US state of Rhode Island. There are  males who constitute 54 per cent of the population and females 46 per cent. The sex ratio of Dibrugarh city was 961 per 1000 males.

The district has a population density of 383 inhabitants per square kilometer. The district has a population of 924,952, out of which 220,534 i.e. 23.84 per cent live in urban areas. The population growth rate over the decade 2001-2011 saw 9.21 per cent increase. Jorhat has a sex ratio of 956 females for every 1000 males, and a literacy rate of 83.42 per cent. Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes are 7 per cent and 6.74 per cent of the population respectively. 

91.09 per cent of the population are Hindus, followed by Muslims comprising 5.85 per cent and Christians are 2.25 per cent of the population.

As per 2011 census languages spoken in the Jorhat district are 88.65 per cent of the population speaking Assamese, 3.77 per cent Bengali, 3.04 per cent Hindi and 1.63 per cent speaks Mising as their first language. The main Assamese communities in the district are Tea tribes (Adivasi), Ahom, Chutia, Sonowal Kacharis, Thengal Kachari.

Jorhat is considered as one of the best locations for modern education in the state, with a literacy rate next to Kamrup Metropolitan. 

Scheduled for phase 1 on April 19, the electoral landscape of Jorhat witnesses a two-way hustle between the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Indian National Congress (INC).

Comprising 10 assembly segments, it emerged as a crucial battleground for the 2024 Lok Sabha election. Jorhat, Titabar, Mariani, Teok, Amguri, Nazira, Mahmara, Sonari, Thowra and Sibsagar are included in the segment. The election for Jorhat constituency is a major hotbed for the political landscape of Assam with BJP eyeing its victory over the high profile name of former CM Tarun Gogoi’s son, Gaurav Gogoi.  

Candidates vying for victory are between BJP candidate Topon Kumar Gogoi and Congress MP Gaurav Gogoi, who made the transition to the Jorhat constituency due to the delimitation process that dissolved the Kaliabor seat where he is a sitting MP from. 

As the political landscape escalates, party campaigns are the new festivities surrounding the towns of each constituency. In the battle of Gogoi vs Gogoi, a new turn of event caught the attention of masses, With Gaurav Gogoi facing an uphill ask to prove his mettle on new turf, BJP MP Topon Gogoi visiting Dip Gogoi's (Uncle of Gaurav Gogoi) residence has created a flatter of conversation in the political landscape of Jorhat. Gaurav faces a mammoth challenge from sitting MP Topon Gogoi. With both Gogoi’s bastions sweating it out on the political field, eyes are keen on Gaurav Gogoi needs to keep up to the legacy left behind by his late father and former CM Tarun Gogoi. 

In the 2019 Lok Sabha Elections, Topon Kumar Gogoi of the BJP emerged victorious, securing 51.35 per cent of the votes, with 543,288 votes, while Sushanta Borgohain of the INC was the first runner-up with 43.54 per cent with 460,635 votes.

Over the years, the political landscape of Jorhat was represented by various political parties. Bijoy Krishna Handique of the INC won the constituency in 1999, 2004, and 2009, while Kamakhya Prasad Tasa of the BJP won in 2014. Topon Kumar Gogoi's victory in 2019 continued the BJP's hold on the seat.

As Jorhat readies itself for another electoral showdown, the stakes are high, and the outcome remains uncertain. The battle of Gogoi vs Gogoi promises a fiercely contested battle for parliamentary representation.