Law, identity, and the 2026 Assam mandate

Aditi Bagaria looks at how the Sarma government's pitch for reform and transparency through three key decisions could open wounds in the state right before it goes to the polls

- Aditi Bagaria

With a few months to go for the Assembly elections in Assam, three decisions of the National Democratic Alliance (NDA)-government are likely to feature as major emotionally-charged issues: The criminalisation of polygamy, an aggressive crackdown on child marriage, and the long-delayed decision to table the Nellie massacre inquiry reports in the Assembly.

Each carries its own historical weight, and together, they outline an election that could be shaped less by economic promises and more by identity, legality and the politics of remembrance.

UCC aspirations

The Himanta Biswa Sarma-led government’s most assertive legislative move has been criminalising polygamy, pitching it as gender reform and a step towards unifying personal laws in the state. The Chief Minister has repeatedly indicated that if reelected, his government will bring out a Uniform Civil Code (UCC) — effectively turning the 2026 polls into a referendum on the reordering of personal law.

Critics argue the polygamy law's enforcement may fall unevenly across communities, particularly minorities.

Exemptions in the Constitution’s Sixth Schedule and tribal-governed areas also complicate the administrative desire for uniformity. What emerges is not just a legal reform but a political signal, interpreted by some as firm leadership and by others as selective intrusion into tradition.

Not a child’s play

The other big socio-cultural topic of discourse in Assam is the intensified campaign against child marriage, marked by large-scale arrests.