In the newly established Chabua-Lahowal constituency of Dibrugarh, the political arena is heated as BJP’s veteran candidate Binod Hazarika faces Congress newcomer Pranjal Ghatowar, the son of a distinguished political figure. Hazarika flaunts his strong electoral history from neighboring districts, while Ghatowar wants to unite the influential tea community to his side.

Dibrugarh: : The newly carved Chabua-Lahowal constituency in Dibrugarh is set for a direct BJP-Congress clash, with veteran BJP MLA Binod Hazarika in the fray against Congress’s Pranjal Ghatowar.While JMM’s Bhupen Singh Murari and TMC’s Inus Kumar Kandapan are also in the fray, the electoral battle is widely expected to be a two-horse race between the two major parties.Hazarika was the sitting MLA from the now-defunct Lahowal constituency in 2021, defeating Aam Aadmi Party candidate Manoj Dhanovar by a margin of 17,248 votes. Earlier, Hazarika had created history by becoming the first BJP candidate to win the Chabua seat in the 2016 elections by defeating three-time Congress MLA Raju Sahu by a huge margin of 30,754 votes. With the merger of Chabua-Lahowal, Hazarika is effectively returning to the political landscape he knows closely.However, his path to the ticket was not without struggle. AGP’s Punakon Barua – who had won the Chabua seat in 2021 when the BJP handed it over to its alliance partner – had also staked claim for the new Chabua-Lahowal seat. Ultimately, the BJP decided to field Hazarika, a decision that reflects the party’s confidence in his electoral track record.“I have served both Chabua and Lahowal in different capacities and I know the needs of this constituency deeply. The people here know my work and I am confident that they will give me another mandate to continue working on what we have achieved,” Hazarika said on Thursday.Opposite him is 45-year-old Pranjal Ghatowar, son of veteran Congress leader and former Union minister of DoNER Paban Singh Ghatowar, who himself hails from the tea community and has been an advocate of their interests. Congress’s choice of Pranjal is deliberate – the constituency has 1,77,238 voters, of whom about 33% are from the tea community, making it a decisive and sought-after block.Pranjal said, “My father has dedicated his life to the people of this region, especially the tea community. I carry that legacy with me and I am committed to fighting for the rights, wages and dignity of tea garden workers who have been ignored for so long.”Beyond electoral rivalries, Chabua-Lahowal faces serious and recurring developmental challenges. Floods and erosion caused by the Brahmaputra and its tributary Buridehing remain a constant threat to large parts of the constituency.As two candidates with contrasting profiles – one a seasoned MLA from the double-constituency, the other a political heir apparent looking for his first win – head into the final phase of the election campaign, the vast tea garden electorate of Chabua-Lahowal could prove to be the decisive arbiter of this contest.