Himanta Sarma's loss will hurt the Congress; but will it help the BJP?

QUICK PILL

The man

• Himanta Biswa Sarma made his mark as a student leader

• He was handpicked by ex-CM Hiteshwar Saikia for the Congress

• He won Jalukbari, an AGP stronghold, to be an MLA in 2001

The rise

• Tarun Gogoi made him a junior minister in 2002

• In 2006, he gained a cabinet berth

• He gained popularity among voters as well as stature in party

The distance

• Gaurav Gogoi, the CM\'s son, refused to rally around Sarma

• Sarma tried to dislodge CM Gogoi

• Finally he quit the party

The future

• Sarma\'s exit will surely make things hard for the Congress

• His entry may add muscle to the BJP

• But the BJP earlier blamed him for multi-crore scams

Like him or hate him, you can't ignore Himanta Biswa Sarma. Everybody in Guwahati has an opinion about the former minster who was once the blue-eyed boy of Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi, but is now perhaps his strongest bete noire.

The former Congressman, who now looks set to join the BJP has a colourful career.

From being labelled an ULFA activist to allegations of kidnapping opposition MLAs, there has been no dearth of controversies.

Sarma, 46, was born to educated middle-class parents. His father, late Kailash Nath Sarma, is a known for his poems and novels in Assam while His mother, Mrinalini Devi, is associated with the Assam Sahitya Sabha.

Like many of his generation, Sarma was drawn towards the politics of All Assam Students Union. He was the general secretary of the prestigious Cotton College Union Society in the early '90s.

Sarma has a law degree and a PhD from the Gauhati University and practiced at the Guwahati High Court between 1996 and 2001, when he entered the legislature.

Thanks to him, the Congress snatched the Jalukbari constituency - a seat that the AGP held since 1985.

It was former chief minister Hiteswar Saikia who hand picked Sarma. The Congress veteran nurtured him to turn him into a firebrand young leader.

Sarma was rewarded for his victory and made the minister of state of planning and development in 2002. His efforts at revenue rationalization and reorganization of the tax collection regime got him a cabinet berth when the Congress returned to power in 2006.

His decision to leave Congress and join BJP has once again turned the spotlight on this firebrand Upper caste Assamese Brahmin, who has been able to create a huge following across the state, in different ethnic communities, breaking the barriers of caste and community based politics that has been played out in Assam for decades.

As Gogoi's health minister in that term, Sarma made a name for himself. Several medical colleges and remote health centers contributed to the government's popularity.

Within five years, Sarma catapulted ahead of his contemporaries - apart from the CM and the state Congress chief, he was the only one with access to the party high command.

For the 2011 elections, he was among the party's main strategists. Gogoi returned t power again and this time made Sarma the education minister. The government employed more than 60,000 teachers and gained immensely popularity among educated youth.

At that point Sarma was though fit enough to step into Gogoi's shoes. But his son Gaurav Gogoi's entry into politics in 2012 changed all that.

Unlike other Youth Congress leaders who would rally around Sarma, Gaurav tried to chart his own course, banking on his family's legacy. Sarma started to distance with the senior Gogoi.

Between 2012 and 2014, Assam saw deep dissidence against Gogoi. At one point, Sarma managed to win the backing of almost 50 MLAs and sought the CM's removal.

The high command, however, stood by the Gandhi family loyalist. In 2014 Sarma resigned as a minister and several rounds of talks could not cut ice. Many believe Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi was more keen on promoting 33-year-old Gaurav, who represent the Koliabor constituency in Parliament.

Last Sunday, Sarma moved to the BJP, at least informally. But will he and the party gain from this?

Sarma's name has figured in at least three major multi-crore scams, which are being investigated. The BJP had recently released a dossier on scams in Assam, naming Sarma as the kingpin. Naturally, several state BJP leaders and workers have now been left red-faced.

Both Sarma and BJP have played a political gamble. The former minister has a huge youth following and can also bring some MLAs with him. But not all of them may be able to retain their seats on BJP tickets in 2016.

His entry into the BJP may lead to the creation of a new power centre in the party in Assam, something that the Congress already experienced.

It will be difficult for the Congress to make up for Sarma. The party is anyway divided into camps and its workers are frustrated.

Sarma was someone the grassroots workers looked up to. If his strategy clicks, he can bring a lot of following for the BJP in a politically polarized Assam.