Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Tuesday told the state Assembly that the BJP-led alliance has won virtually every constituency dominated by tea garden communities and secured near-total control of Scheduled Caste (SC) reserved seats across the state. Sarma made the assertion during a discussion in the House, citing the results as evidence of grassroots trust in the ruling coalition's welfare agenda.

Tea Tribe Sweep

Speaking on the floor of the Assembly, Sarma said the BJP, along with allies Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) and Bodoland People's Front (BPF), had emerged victorious in almost every constituency with a significant tea garden population. 'The tea tribe community has moved forward with us in an unprecedented manner. There is hardly any constituency with a tea community population where the BJP, AGP or BPF has not emerged victorious,' Sarma said.

SC Reserved Seats: Near-Total Dominance

The Chief Minister further claimed that the ruling alliance had won approximately 99 per cent of Scheduled Caste reserved constituencies in Assam. 'Almost 99 per cent of the Scheduled Caste reserved seats have been won by the BJP, BPF and AGP alliance,' he told the Assembly. Sarma attributed this outcome to welfare programmes covering housing, healthcare, education, financial assistance, and employment that he said had reached communities at the grassroots level.

The Broader Electoral Picture

The BJP-led alliance secured 102 seats in the 126-member Assam Assembly, while the opposition suffered a decisive setback. The Indian National Congress managed only 19 seats — its lowest tally in the state. Sarma argued that the results reflected the government's ability to politically connect with communities that had historically remained on the margins despite forming a substantial share of Assam's population.

Opposition Pushback

Opposition parties challenged Sarma's claims during the discussion, accusing the ruling alliance of politicising welfare schemes and deploying identity-based narratives for electoral advantage. Critics argued that framing welfare delivery in electoral terms undermines the non-partisan intent of such programmes.

What the Government Points To

The Chief Minister has consistently highlighted targeted initiatives for tea garden workers — including financial aid to tea tribe women, healthcare outreach, and educational support — as central to the coalition's broader strategy among Economically Weaker Sections (EWS). This comes amid a longer pattern of the BJP expanding its footprint in Assam's plantation belt, a demographic bloc that once leaned toward the Congress. How durable that shift proves will be tested in the next electoral cycle.