India, April 4 -- Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma and state Congress president Gaurav Gogoi are locked in a high-stakes, deeply personal contest as the state heads to assembly polls on April 9, with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led alliance seeking a third straight term and the opposition attempting a comeback.

Sarma brings three decades of electoral experience, having led several successful campaigns for both the Congress and the BJP after switching sides in 2015. However, this is the first time the 57-year-old is contesting as a sitting chief minister, raising the stakes significantly.

In contrast, Gogoi, 43, the son of former chief minister Tarun Gogoi, has won three successive Lok Sabha elections since entering politics...