- By Raju Kumar
- Fri, 20 Mar 2026 05:57 PM (IST)
- Source:JND
Assam Elections 2026: Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma has an electoral Midas touch. He was a key architect of the Tarun Gogoi-led Congress's victories till he was in the grand old party, and he is steering the same role even if the ship has changed. Sarma appeared to be a fortune-drawer for the Bharatiya Janata Party as the saffron party has been on a winning streak since Sarma joined the BJP in 2015. In the Assam Assembly elections 2026, his party expects the same poll results from him.
On Friday, Sarma filed nomination papers, seeking re-election from the Jalukbari constituency for the sixth term in a row.
Sarma's Performance In His Constituency
Sarma has represented Jalukbari under the Gauhati Lok Sabha constituency since 2001 and seeks to retain it for the sixth consecutive term in the polls. He first contested this seat in 1996 as a Congress candidate, losing to late AGP leader Bhrigu Kumar Phukan by 17,000 votes, but he wrested the seat from him in 2001, winning by a margin of 10,000 votes. Sarma's winning spree continued, and the victory margin kept increasing in each poll, and he achieved a record win by 1,01,000 in 2021.
An election in the democratic setup is like a sports, in which one has to do well in every game regardless of how big a player one is. So, Sarma is not exceptional; he has to overcome all the electoral challenges lying ahead.
Here Are Key Factors That Need To Be Outsmarted By Assam CM:
Bangladeshi Infiltration Issue: The BJP has been in power in Assam since 2016, with Sarma leading the government from 2021; the Bangladeshi infiltration issue remained unresolved. Despite the National Citizenship Registration (NRC) drive in Assam, an exercise aiming to push out illegal immigrants from the state, illegal Bangladeshi immigration still stands as a big issue for people in the northeastern state. A few days ago, Sarma himself said that he cannot drive out around seven million “Miya Muslims”, a term he used to refer to alleged illegal Bangladeshi immigrants from the state in his lifetime.
Anti-Incumbency: A party, after remaining in power for 10 years, often faces anti-incumbency. There is now a sense of fatigue among a section of voters. The Congress-led alliance is attempting to boost anti-incumbency sentiment by raising issues such as flood, unemployment, and attacks on minorities.
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Anti-Muslim Image: Sarma's outrageous comments on the Bangladeshi Muslims created an image that he is against the Minority. His "Miya Muslims" remark and anti-encroachment drive across the state gave ammo to the Opposition to paint him as an anti-Muslim leader. Subsequently, the Opposition is consolidating minority votes by calling Sarma a divisive leader.
Opposition Unity: Assam stalwart Tarun Gogoi's son, Gaurav Gogoi, has projected himself as the Chief Ministerial candidate. He is attempting to inject fresh energy into the party. He expanded the Congress-led alliance by inducting Akhil Gogi's Raijor Dal. Assam Jatiya Parishad, CPI-M and CPI-ML are already part of the Opposition camp.
Ethnic Issues: The demand for ST status for six communities (Tai Ahom, Chutia, Moran, Motok, Koch-Rajbongshi, and tea plantation workers) remains unresolved as the Coordination Committee of Tribal Organisations of Assam (CCTOA) objected to the Sarma government's plan. However, the state Cabinet approved a report recommending Scheduled Tribe (ST) status for six communities in November 2025.
Flood Issue: Despite repeated promises made by the senior BJP leaders, including Home Minister Amit Shah, the flood issue troubles people every year.
(With Agencies inputs)