A STAGE SET FOR SARMA

THE HUGELY POPULAR CHIEF MINISTER HAS COVERED ALL BASES: A GREAT RECORD IN INFRASTRUCTURE AND JOBS, LAYERS OF WELFARE SCHEMES AND POLARISATION OF VOTERS THROUGH THE 'MIYA' SCARE

- By KAUSHIK DEKA

For more than 15 years, Himanta Biswa Sarma has been the most reliable electoral engine in Assam, winning assembly seats, Lok Sabha contests and even Rajya Sabha numbers when arithmetic alone fell short. He delivered for the Congress. He delivered for the BJP after switching in 2015. But April 9, 2026, is different. For the first time, Sarma enters an Assam election not as kingmaker but as king—the sitting chief minister. “This is his election,” says one of his close confidants. “He is the product he is selling this time, not another chief ministerial face. So, the return must be higher.”

For Sarma, winning is not enough; he wants to win bigger. The BJP first came to power in Assam in 2016 with 60 seats in the 126-member assembly, four short of the halfway mark of 64. Backed by allies, the NDA’s combined tally stood at 86, and Sarbananda Sonowal became chief minister. In 2021, the BJP held its 60 seats and lifted its vote share from 29 to 33 per cent. The NDA’s overall count, however, shrank by 11 seats, partly because ally Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) slid from 14 seats to nine.

THE INCUMBENT

Himanta Biswa Sarma, 57 BJP, Chief Minister, Assam

KEY STRATEGIES

Sarma as the central face, turning the election into a referendum on his governance model. Projection of infra struc­ ture build­out, industrial investments, and faster growth aims to create a “feel­good” mood

Targeted welfare outreach—covering 75-85% of Assam’s population—is paired with promises of more payouts and more government jobs in next term

Emphasis on illegal immigration consolidates a vote bank across caste, tribe, class lines; UCC and actions against love/ land jihad presented as tools to protect ethnic identities