Diplu Ranjan Sarmah, who won from New Guwahati constituency on a BJP ticket, vows to closely work with the people, and be available for them round-the-clock. He won the seat by a margin of 47,668 votes against his rival Sanatanu Bora of Congress.
In an interview with Animesh Deb of GPlus, Sarma spoke on a range of issues, from flash floods or the drug menace to inculcating entrepreneurship in the minds of the youth and opening free coaching centres for needy students.
Animesh Deb (AD): Your first reaction on this massive win.
Diplu Ranjan Sarmah (DRS): This win is not only of the Bharatiya Janata Party. The love and affection that the people of Assam have given us reflect our development-first agenda. Also, it is about which party can best serve the interests of the indigenous people. We were very confident of winning, given the good work we have done in the past two terms.
AD: You had earlier won from the Samaguri constituency in a by-election. New Guwahati is a totally different constituency, with a different set of issues and problems. How do you see it and what will be your priorities?
DRS: When my party asked me to contest from Samaguri, I accepted the challenge. Media personnel used to ask me why I chose to contest in that tough seat. My reply was, ‘It’s party order.’ I said that the ‘hardest battle is given to the strongest soldier.’ In 2026, it has totally reversed: ‘Easiest battle given to a grassroots party worker.’ There were several challenges in Samaguri. In contrast, New Guwahati is a very different constituency, and the people here are very intellectual. Many thinkers have been born in this constituency and positively shaped our society. They always vote with their intellect and have intelligence, and the BJP has been receiving their valuable votes since 2016. Former MLA Siddhartha Bhattacharya, our mayor Mrigen Sarania, and our councillors have done good work. Our booth structure is very strong, and they have worked very hard for me. I agree that I was relatively new in this constituency. I have been staying in Guwahati for the past 25 years, doing social work among other things. It is because of the trust shown in me by my party, our leadership, and our voters that I have comfortably managed to win.
AD: New Guwahati is a new constituency. It was created after the delimitation exercise carried out in 2023. Do you wish to give this constituency a new identity?
DRS: I have several novel ideas in mind, but I don’t want to disclose them today. I am not among those politicians who just speak, I want to walk the talk. There are several issues, including waterlogging that I won’t be able to solve on Day 1, and it will take time. These are complex problems to solve. I have spoken with many people to understand the problems. We may not be able to solve the flash floods issue entirely, but we will try to control it. I will closely monitor everything round-the-clock. We will clean the drains regularly, and if need be I will be there at the site with the municipal workers to monitor them. I will work with absolute honesty, and I will delve deep into all the issues at the micro level. I also request media people like you to keep a close watch on me and my work.
AD: Silsako Beel falls under your constituency. Will you be able to channelise some of the rain water to this water body to reduce the flash floods issue in Guwahati?
DRS: I haven’t technically studied about the Silsako matter yet. Now that I have the authority as a local MLA, I will be able to understand this matter more deeply. Through this Silsako Beel, I think we will be able to control the flooding problem of Guwahati. I will also talk to various citizens in the locality who have proper knowledge on this issue. We will need time, but if we sincerely work under the leadership of Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, we shall definitely be able to resolve the issues. Another thing would be to provide land titles to people living in the hills. Drinking water issue is largely resolved. I want to do something different. I seek suggestions from my constituency people. I want to take some initiative in the education sector. For the needy youth, I wish to open two coaching centres. Besides, I want to create a few young entrepreneurs in this area.
AD: How will the people of your constituency reach out to you with their problems and grievances? Will you hold Raijmel?
DRS: Definitely, I will be available all the time. We are here for the public. If we can go to voters seeking votes during the elections, they similarly have the right to come to me anytime. For the first few months, I will try to understand the problems of the people. In every ward, I will meet the Unnayan Samiti members, I will talk to NGOs working in various sectors. On the vote counting day at the Maniram Dewan Trade Centre, Santanu Bora and I were talking about the severe drug addiction problem in Guwahati. Both of us are very concerned about this menace. I have also sought his suggestion to together work towards a drug-free society. My phone number is 9864588280. Subsequently, I will open a helpline number or a WhatsApp number where my people can reach out directly. You can call me. You can message me, I will respond to it or call you back. We are from Narendra Modi, Amit Shah, and Himanta Biswa Sarma’s party, who work 24*7. People of New Guwahati have placed their faith in me (by casting votes in my favour); now it is my turn to give back.
AD: Many people raised questions about you not being a local face in this constituency. How do you see it?
DRS: We should never mislead people. From Day 1, I have been telling people that my original home is in Kaliabor. But, since 1989, I have been staying here in Guwahati and know nearly everything about this city. There is no point of dragging this local versus non-local issue. If they are so concerned about the local face, why did they give Ripun Bora the party ticket from Barchalla. Gaurav Gogoi once contested from Kaliabor, and now from Jorhat, and now I am hearing that next he will contest from Nagaon in 2029.
AD: You have spoken about several issues facing the New Guwahati constituency. Where will you start from?
DRS: First thing, I will start interacting with the people and I will monitor everything. Subsequently, I will start working towards the solutions of those problems.