NEW DELHI: In the Dhemaji seat, BJP candidate Ranoj Pegu won by a margin of over 32,000 votes against Congress’s Sailen Sonowal. The BJP-led alliance is expected to secure a comfortable majority and retain Himanta Biswa Sarma as chief minister.Assam went to polls on April 9 for all 126 constituencies, recording turnout above 85%. Voter participation remained high across both rural and urban areas, reflecting a strong democratic response.Dhemaji (ST) is a Scheduled Tribe-reserved assembly constituency in Assam’s Dhemaji district, part of the Lakhimpur Lok Sabha area, featuring rural tribal landscapes prone to severe flooding and agriculture dependence. Ranoj Pegu of BJP is the current MLA, elected in the 2021 Assam assembly elections.He won with 87,681 votes (45-46per cent share), defeating AJP’s Chittaranjan Basumatary (56,889 votes, 29-30per cent) by a margin of 30,792 votes. Recurring floods from rivers like Brahmaputra and Subansiri devastate crops, homes, and erode riverbanks, demanding robust embankments and relief.Rural infrastructure deficits, including roads, healthcare, and electricity, hinder ST communities, while youth unemployment pushes migration. Cultural preservation and irrigation for farming remain critical in this remote area.
