Jonai poll battle pits BJP strongman Pegu against Cong newcomer Medok

Dibrugarh: The Scheduled Tribe-reserved Jonai assembly constituency in Assam’s Dhemaji district is headed for a straight contest between sitting BJP MLA Bhubon Pegu, 55, and Congress newcomer Raju Kumar Medok, 55, with no other candidates in the fray.The contest sets up a battle between one of Assam’s most electorally dominant sitting MLAs and a first-time assembly candidate in a constituency where the Mising community plays a decisive political role. Both candidates belong to the same tribal community.Pegu enters the election with a formidable record in Jonai, having won the seat three times under different political banners. In 2006, contesting as an Independent, he defeated then Congress MLA Pradan Baruah by 14,868 votes, securing 79,117 votes against Baruah’s 64,249.

He lost to Baruah in 2011 by the same margin of 14,868 votes. In 2016, again as an Independent, he defeated BJP’s Aswini Pait by 39,148 votes with 88,441 votes.

In 2021, contesting on a BJP ticket, he defeated Congress candidate Hema Hari Prasanna Pegu by 1,10,987 votes, polling 1,68,411 votes against 57,424. AJP candidate Phaniram Tayeng finished third with 7,726 votes.That 2021 victory, by more than one lakh votes, marked one of the most emphatic constituency-level wins in recent Assam elections.

“Jonai has given me everything. Winning three mandates across different elections, twice as Independent and once from BJP — that is the trust of my people. I have worked to honour that trust every single day, and I will continue to do so,” Pegu said ahead of the polls.Congress has fielded Medok, who has no previous assembly election experience. The party appears to be banking on his Mising identity, along with any anti-incumbency and fatigue with Pegu’s long dominance, to make the contest competitive.

Even so, overturning a margin of more than one lakh votes remains a steep task.“The people of Jonai need a fresh voice. Floods and erosion have devastated this constituency year after year. It is time to ask whether the same leadership has delivered the protection this region deserves,” Medok said.Flooding and erosion caused by the Brahmaputra and Lali rivers remain the defining issues in Jonai. Large stretches of land have been lost to erosion over the years, while annual floods continue to displace communities across the constituency.Jonai has produced varied electoral outcomes over time. In 10 assembly elections since 1978, Congress has won four times, AGP and Independents twice each, and the BJP and Janata Party once each. Pegu accounts for two of the Independent victories.With voting approaching, the key question in Jonai is whether Medok can significantly cut into Pegu’s entrenched personal vote base in a constituency where the BJP MLA has repeatedly shown an ability to win beyond party lines.