Jorhat:
It's a fresh brew of politics between the Congress and BJP in Jorhat, Upper Assam's tea town. And it goes beyond the "tea seller" debate.
At a wholesale market in AT Road in this 'tea town', dominated by Hindi-speaking traders, one can't miss the 'Modi flavor' in the many tea stalls that dot the area.
Posters of BJP's prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi have been plastered across one of them which is, ironically, located opposite a commercial building called Modi Complex.
And at the local 'paanwala', a 'Banarasi paan' may not be available but a bit of Modi touch sure is.
"After having Modi tea, everyone is chanting Modi's name," says the 'paanwala', who was reluctant to share his name.
His apprehension is understandable. Jorhat has consistently voted for a Congress leader for the past two-and-a-half decades and the town is considered a traditional party stronghold.
Beyond the 'gupshup' at the chai shop, the real fight here is for the votes of the lakhs of people working in the tea industry.
People from the tea tribes, who are mostly workers in the tea industry, constitute nearly 30 per cent of the voters in Jorhat and Dibrugarh and they have traditionally sided with the Congress.
But the BJP is eager to change this story.
The party has fielded candidates who belong to the tea community in both constituencies.
Kamakhya Prasad Tasha, the BJP's candidate from Jorhat, brings up Modi's by now famous history of being a 'chaiwala'.
"We are projecting Modiji as a 'chaiwala' and a strong man, as someone who could rise from his humble beginnings to become the prime minister," he said.
Mr Tasha alleged that the Congress "always lures voters with liquor and money and it blackmails tea workers".
The Lok Sabha polls here will be a tough one for the Congress.
Not just because of the BJP's focus on votes from the tea industry but also due to the anti-incumbency factor against the ruling party.
Congress candidate and former Union minister B K Handique, who is contesting for his seventh Lok Sabha term, hails from a distinguished political family.
At 82, he is possibly one of the most senior contestants in the Lok Sabha elections.
In fact, many leaders from his own party believe he should have announced his retirement instead of contesting the elections one more time.
The bulk of Handique's campaigning is being carried out by local MLA Rana Goswami.
Goswami has accused the BJP of building a personality cult around Assam's tea industry which is an intrinsic part of the state's identity.
"Assam's tea is exported to London. It is world famous but Modiji wants to hijack it and call it Modi tea," alleged Mr Goswami.
In neighboring Dibrugarh constituency, the Congress has once again fielded Pawan Singh Ghatowar, a Union minister and more importantly, a senior leader of the tea community.
His wife Jeevan Tara Ghatowar, a Congress MLA, countered Modi's challenge with an aggressive stance.
"We have heard of Assam tea and of Darjeeling tea, but what is this Modi tea? That won't work here," she said.
A comment by Congress leader Mani Shankar Aiyyar -- on Modi's history as a tea vendor -- had inspired the BJP to launch the 'chaiwala' campaign.
In Assam, 'chai' politics is more about reaching out to a crucial vote bank which can swing electoral fortunes.