De facto CM emerges in Assam

75-year-old Tarun Gogoi advised to avoid stress

But the man, who sought votes for Bhimananda Tanti—the Congress candidate in eastern Assam’s Rangapara constituency—is Gogoi’s Health Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma. Though, that’s just not enough to introduce him.

In the course of the Congress’ rule in Assam for last 10 years, Sarma has had a steady rise from a first-time MLA and a Minister of State to a high-profile Cabinet Minister and the most trusted lieutenant of Gogoi.

His critics—both in the Congress and the Opposition Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)— now call him the “de facto CM.”

And with 75-year-old Tarun Gogoi not keeping well, the buzz within the Congress is that Sarma might soon be a frontrunner to succeed him, if not immediately, maybe in a couple of years, if the party retains power.

No wonder, ahead of the polls, Sarma is the only local star of the Congress, who is in demand across the state. And, with little doubts on his chance to score a hat trick in his home-turf Jalukbari, he is crisscrossing the state addressing 10-12 rallies everyday and standing in for Gogoi, whom doctors have advised not to take much stress.

“The AGP had shattered the state’s economy during 1996-2001. The government employees did not receive salaries for months. It’s the Congress government which brought the economy back on the growth path,” said Sarma.

Taking a shot at the BJP, he said: “The BJP does only one thing ahead of every election. They give Assam people an opportunity to have a glimpse of Hema Malini. But don’t you think Assam women are prettier than her?” Earlier this week, Hema Malini had campaigned for the BJP candidate.

Sarma has had his share of  controversy. He has been accused of illegally amassing wealth. The RTI activist Akhil Gogoi in July 2010 claimed to have unearthed “missing” police files related to a 1991 murder case in which the minister had allegedly been involved. An old case registered against Sarma under the Terrorist and Disruptive Activities (Prevention) Act also came to light. An unfazed Sarma dismissed the allegations and called the campaign against him a politically motivated to malign him.

Sarma loves to boast of his ability to connect with youths and is active on Facebook and Twitter. He staged a show of strength in Guwahati on March 25, when he went to file nomination papers with nearly 25,000 supporters. Both the BJP and AGP lodged complaints with the Election Commission, which issued a show-cause notice to the minister for causing public inconvenience.

He, however, is yet to make public his high ambitions and never forgets to vow his loyalty to Gogoi. “I hope you all will vote to make Tarun Gogoi Chief Minister again,” he concluded his speech at Rangapara, before leaving for another rally in Tezpur.

Politicians cash in on cricket mania

The battle on those 22 yards in Wankhede Stadium has cast its long shadow on the battle of ballots in Assam.

With the World Cup final between India and Sri Lanka just a few hours away, cricket found its place in the political rhetoric of the Congress and BJP in the poll-bound northeastern state on Friday.

While seeking votes for their respective parties in Assam, both Congress president Sonia Gandhi and BJP veteran L K Advani conveyed best wishes to Mahendra Singh Dhoni and his team for the Saturday’s final in Mumbai.

“I take this opportunity to send my greetings to the cricket team of India for winning the semifinal in Mohali. I wish them all the best for the final,” Sonia said in an election rally at Khumtai in Golaghat district of the state. “I wish they lift the World Cup,” she said.

Advani also addressed a rally in Khumtai on Friday. And, like Sonia, he also wished good luck to Team India for the WC final.