The credit for a land-sliding victory of the Congress Party in Assam certainly goes to chief minister Tarun Gogoi but contribution of his health minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, who with his managerial skill and aggressive management of elections succeeded in outsmarting the opponents, cannot be ignored.
Though, 42-year-old Mr Biswa Sarma, a student leader who was spotted and brought to the Congress fold by late chief minister Hiteswar Saikia has always been in controversy for his aggressive approach but at the end he had the last laugh by proving his point, defeating stalwarts like AGP president Chandra Mohan Patowary and Assam BJP president Ranjit Dutta by backing Nilmani Sen Deka and Pallab Lochan Das.
Mr Biswa Sarma was instrumental in picking up a former tea tribe student, Pallab Lochan Das, a first-timer in politics, to defeat the BJP president.
There are more than a dozen of winners in the Congress who do not hesitate in attributing their victory to Mr Biswa Sarma, who remained in the eyes of storm for his aggressive campaign for more than 50 Congress candidates across the state.
The political observers are of the view that thumping majority to the Congress has of course caste a shadow over his performance but he was also the architect of the Gogoi government in 2006 by roping in Bodoland People’s Front before the Opposition could think of a strategy to outwit the Congress, then 10 short of magic figure. Often described as arrogant, Mr Biswa Sarma also won the chief minister’s trust by aggressively implementing government programmes. As a result, Mr Gogoi entrusted him with the most important tasks. “He was Gogoi’s most trusted lieutenant and his strategy made both the AGP and BJP bite the dust,” said Pallab Lochan Das, who defeated the BJP president. Congress MLA Nilmani Sen Deka does not fail to express his gratitude towards Mr Biswa Sarma while boasting of his image of a “giant killer” after defeating the AGP president.