The incumbent’s profile: Gourav Gogoi’s performance better than many fellow MPs

Gourav Gogoi, a member of the All India Congress Committee and the son of former chief minister and Congress heavyweight Tarun Gogoi, is the sitting Minister of Parliament from Assam’s Kaliabor constituency. In the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, Gogoi received 4,43,315 votes while his nearest rival from BJP, Mrinal Kumar Saikia polled 3,49,441 votes. 

This time too, the Congress has fielded Gogoi from Kaliabor constituency where he will be going against Moni Madhab Mahanta, member of the Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) and younger brother of state cabinet minister Keshab Mahanta.
The Kaliabor Lok Sabha constituency has been a Congress party stronghold. Former chief minister Tarun Gogoi, his son Gourav, and brother Dip Gogoi have been representing this constituency since 1998.

Born to a family of politicians, Gogoi graduated from St. Columba's School in Delhi. He then completed B. Tech in Electronics and Communication Engineering in 2004 from Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha University, Delhi and joined the marketing team of Airtel. He later went to the United States of America to study Masters in Public Administration.

Upon his return to India, he joined politics and said that he would do whatever the party wanted him to do. In March 2014 Congress Party announced Gogoi as its candidate from Kaliabor Lok Sabha constituency, which he won.

For the Lok Sabha polls 2019, Kaliabor has been one of the most talked-about constituencies of Assam. The constituency comprises 10 assembly segments, namely Golaghat, Dergaon (SC), Bokakhat, Dhing, Batadroba, Rupohihat, Samaguri, Kaliabor, Sarupathar and Khumtai. With Gogoi gearing up for the polls, he is sure to be judged on his performance in the past five year performance. 

According to the data published by PRS Legislative Research, the Kaliabor MP recorded attendance of 77% in his tenure which is very close to the national average of 80% and the state average of 74%. 

While Gogoi’s attendance stands at merely 77%, he has fared very well in terms of questions asked, debates attended and private member’s bills raised. 

In terms of the total number of parliamentary debates attended, the national average has been calculated at 67.1 debates per MP, state average is calculated at 46.6 debates per MP, but Gogoi has been present at 83 debates.

Among the number of questions raised by an MP, Gogoi surpassed both the national as well as state average. While the national average is at 293 questions and state average is at 164, Gogoi raised a whopping 307 questions pertaining to various issues.

Further, while most of the Assam MPs did not raise a single Private Member’s Bill in their tenure, Gogoi tabled 6 bills, all of which are still pending in the parliament.