Assam Assembly Election 2026: With just a few months remaining in the much-hyped Assam Assembly polls, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma has set the tone for the BJP's campaign. While addressing a rally, Sarma advised the people to "trouble Miyas" to ensure they leave the state. The term "Miya" has been used to refer to Bengali-origin Muslims, while some of the far-right groups refer to them as "Bangladeshis". The Congress, led by MP Gaurav Gogoi, has accused the BJP of doing divisive politics to hide their failures.

BJP Relies On Hindu Vote Bank

Earlier in August 2025, members of several right-wing groups, including Asom Yuva Mancha and Jatiya Sangrami Sena, threatened the Bengali-origin Muslims living in the upper regions of the state. Sarma has promoted the ideology of these groups to benefit the saffron party in Assam and other northeastern states. Earlier last year, he even suggested the native Assamese boycott "Miyas" by not selling the lands and not buying products from their shops.

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What Is Congress' Strategy?

The rise of Gaurav Gogoi, son of the former Chief Minister Ranjan Gogoi, has given a face to Congress to compete against Sarma. The grand old party contested the last assembly polls in alliance with the Badruddin Ajmal-led All India United Democratic Front (AIUDF) to swing the Muslim voters in its favour. However, the BJP, in its campaign, presented the Congress as anti-locals due to its alliance.

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The Congress is likely to form an alliance with the regional parties Raijor Dol (RD) and Asom Jatiya Parishad (AJP) to regain its political ground in Upper and North Assam, dominated by ethnic Assamese communities. After the delimitation exercise in 2023, the number of seats where the minority voters play a key role reduced from 35 of the total 126 seats to 26.

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While the BJP will try to repeat its government in Assam, the Congress will contest the polls to regain its lost ground in the northeastern region.


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