Congress Struggles in Assam Despite Aggressive Campaign
Congress launched a vigorous campaign for the Assam assembly polls, including attacks on Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma’s family, yet failed to enhance its electoral standing, mirroring outcomes of the previous two elections.
Concentrated Support in Muslim-Majority Seats
The party’s support remained limited to “Miya” Muslim-majority constituencies, where the AIUDF lost relevance, leaving Congress with a narrow and isolated voter base. This situation was exacerbated by relentless attacks from CM Sarma, who portrayed Congress as a party for the “Miya” Muslims, a term referring to migrant Muslims of Bangladeshi origin. This narrative, combined with the BJP’s repeated slogan that Congress is their “saviour,” reshaped voter perceptions and weakened Congress’s ability to broaden its appeal.
Impact of Delimitation
Following the 2023 delimitation, the number of Muslim-majority seats shrank from 35 to 22, further undermining Congress’s electoral prospects. As a result, Congress failed to reclaim its once-dominant position in Assam’s politics.
Election Results
The NDA swept the election with over 100 seats, while Congress performed worse than in the previous election, winning only 19 seats and leading in four others at the time of reporting. All these seats were Muslim-majority. The party lost ground among indigenous tribal and Hindu voters and suffered major defeats, with Assam Congress chief Gaurav Gogoi and Leader of Opposition Debabrata Saikia losing in their upper Assam constituencies.
Geographical Shift
Routed in former strongholds like upper and northern Assam, most of Congress’s wins came from lower and southern Assam.
Reactions
BJP leader Pijush Hazarika stated that the result demonstrated Congress’s lack of support outside “Miya”-inhabited constituencies and framed the NDA victory as one for the “Sanatani civilisation.” Within Congress, frustration was evident. Gaurav Gogoi did not comment, while senior leader Ripun Bora urged workers to maintain morale and promised a serious review of the results. Bora also raised doubts about the outcome, alleging “EVM manipulation possibilities are there as the poll outcome did not reflect frustration of the Gen Z over the delay in justice for Zubeen, frustration over price rise and anger over polarisation politics of Himanta Biswa Sarma.” He noted that CM Sarma had predicted a 100-seat win for NDA, which nearly materialized, and exit polls had shown similar results.
Alliance Failure
Congress formed a six-party alliance at the last minute, including the Left and regional forces, but it failed to yield results. Bora later said he would continue serving the party but would not contest elections again.
