Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma targets Congress over minority vote politics
Synopsis
Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma's attack on Congress is backed by a striking data point: 18 of the party's 19 MLAs elected in the 2026 Assembly polls reportedly belong to the Muslim community. As the AIUDF collapses to just 2 seats and Congress consolidates minority support, the BJP is doubling down on a polarisation narrative it has used to devastating effect — and the Congress faces a genuine strategic dilemma with no easy answer.
Key Takeaways
Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma accused Congress of focusing on minority votes over development, speaking at Lahowal, Dibrugarh on Monday, 9 November 2026 .
In the 2026 Assam Assembly elections , Congress won 19 seats , with 18 of its elected MLAs reportedly from the Muslim community; the NDA won 102 of 126 seats.
The AIUDF was reduced to just 2 seats in 2026, down from 18 seats in 2011, as Congress absorbed minority support.
Congress candidate Rakibul Hussain defeated AIUDF chief Badruddin Ajmal by over 10 lakh votes in the 2024 Dhubri Lok Sabha contest.
The 2023 delimitation exercise reportedly reduced constituencies where minority voters can decisively influence outcomes.
Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Monday launched a pointed attack on the Congress, accusing the party of building its political strategy around minority vote arithmetic rather than development, during his visit to Lahowal in Dibrugarh. The remarks sharpen the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)'s sustained campaign to frame the Congress as dependent on a narrow electoral base.
What Sarma Said
Addressing a public gathering in Lahowal, Sarma claimed the Congress was primarily focused on securing votes from minority communities and had failed to adequately address developmental needs in minority-dominated constituencies — even as those areas continued to deliver electoral support to the party. He alleged that the Congress's approach amounted to treating minority voters as a vote bank rather than as citizens deserving governance.
The Electoral Context Behind the Attack
Sarma's remarks are grounded in a visible pattern from the 2026 Assam Assembly elections. The Congress won 19 seats in the House, with 18 of its elected legislators reportedly belonging to the Muslim community, according to an analysis of results. The National Democratic Alliance (NDA), meanwhile, swept 102 of the 126 Assembly seats. The BJP has repeatedly highlighted this composition to portray the Congress as structurally reliant on a single community's votes.
The Decline of AIUDF and Congress's Consolidation
The political landscape in Assam has shifted significantly over two decades. The emergence of Badruddin Ajmal's All India United Democratic Front (AIUDF) in 2005 initially disrupted the Congress's traditional hold over Bengali-origin Muslim voters, with the AIUDF winning 18 Assembly seats in 2011. The two parties subsequently contested the 2021 Assembly elections as allies — a move the BJP leveraged to question the Congress's positioning among Assamese voters. The Congress later severed the alliance ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.
The strategic breakup paid dividends in Dhubri: Congress candidate Rakibul Hussain defeated AIUDF chief Badruddin Ajmal by more than 10 lakh votes in the 2024 Dhubri parliamentary contest, dealing a severe blow to Ajmal's political standing. By the 2026 Assembly polls, the AIUDF had been reduced to just 2 seats, while Congress consolidated its position as the principal opposition.
Delimitation and the Changing Electoral Map
The political calculus has grown more complex following the 2023 delimitation exercise, which reportedly reduced the number of constituencies where minority voters can decisively swing electoral outcomes. Critics argue this structural shift further narrows the electoral space available to parties relying heavily on minority consolidation.
The Congress has consistently maintained that it represents all communities and sections of society, pushing back against the BJP's framing. However, the party faces a credible strategic challenge: expanding its electoral appeal beyond the base it has consolidated, without alienating it in the process.
What This Signals for Assam's Political Discourse
Sarma's remarks indicate that the BJP intends to keep the minority politics narrative at the core of its messaging ahead of future electoral contests. This comes amid a broader national debate on identity politics, where questions of minority representation, development, and electoral polarisation are increasingly intertwined. The debate is shaping Assam's political discourse in ways that will likely define the state's next electoral cycle.
Point of View
Deploying community-based messaging to consolidate the majority. The more revealing story is the AIUDF's near-collapse — the absorption of that voter bloc by Congress has handed the BJP a potent campaign argument it will not relinquish. The 2023 delimitation adds another layer: if minority-heavy constituencies have been structurally diluted, Congress's consolidation of that vote may deliver diminishing electoral returns regardless of the BJP's messaging. The Congress, caught between defending its pluralist identity and addressing the genuine arithmetic of its wins, has yet to articulate a credible counter-narrative that speaks to Assamese voters beyond its current base.
NationPress
9 Nov 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
What did Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma say about Congress and minority politics?
Sarma accused the Congress of building its political strategy around securing minority votes rather than delivering development, speaking at a public gathering in Lahowal, Dibrugarh on Monday. He alleged the party had neglected developmental needs in minority-dominated constituencies even as it continued to draw electoral support from them.
What were the 2026 Assam Assembly election results for Congress and BJP?
In the 2026 Assam Assembly elections, the Congress won 19 seats, with 18 of its elected legislators reportedly from the Muslim community. The NDA secured 102 of the 126 Assembly seats, with the BJP returning to power comfortably.
What happened to the AIUDF in recent Assam elections?
The AIUDF, led by Badruddin Ajmal, was reduced to just 2 seats in the 2026 Assembly elections, a sharp decline from its peak of 18 seats in 2011. The party's influence was further dented when Congress candidate Rakibul Hussain defeated Ajmal by over 10 lakh votes in the 2024 Dhubri Lok Sabha contest.
Why did the Congress end its alliance with AIUDF?
The Congress severed its alliance with the AIUDF ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, after the BJP had used the 2021 coalition between the two parties to question Congress's positioning among Assamese voters. The split proved electorally beneficial for Congress in Dhubri.
How has delimitation affected minority politics in Assam?
The 2023 delimitation exercise reportedly reduced the number of constituencies in Assam where minority voters can decisively influence electoral outcomes. Critics argue this structural change further complicates the strategy of parties that rely heavily on minority vote consolidation.
