Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Monday secured a commanding sixth consecutive win from the Jalukbari constituency, retaining the seat by a massive margin of 89,434 votes and reinforcing his personal electoral dominance even as the ruling National Democratic Alliance stormed to power in the state for a third straight term with a two-thirds majority.
The NDA secured a record 102 of the 126 assembly seats, its strongest-ever performance in Assam, with the BJP winning 82 of the 90 seats it contested and emerging with a clear majority on its own for the first time in the state’s electoral history. Its allies also delivered steady gains, with the Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) and Bodoland People’s Front (BPF) winning 10 seats each, helping consolidate the alliance’s statewide sweep.
The Opposition, led by the Congress, suffered one of its weakest showings in recent memory, managing just 19 seats despite contesting 99. The AIUDF and Akhil Gogoi-led Raijor Dal won two seats each, while the Trinamool Congress secured one. Several smaller regional partners, including the AJP, CPI(M) and APHLC, failed to open their account.
The verdict also carried significant political reversals for the Congress, with state president Gaurav Gogoi losing the high-profile Jorhat seat to BJP’s Hitendranath Goswami by 23,181 votes. Other prominent Opposition leaders, including Debabrata Saikia, Lurinjyoti Saikia and Ripun Bora, also lost, underscoring the scale of the NDA wave.
Within the ruling camp, several senior BJP leaders and ministers retained their seats comfortably, including Ajanta Neog, Ranoj Pegu, Pijush Hazarika, Ashok Singhal, Kaushik Rai, Prashanta Phukan, Krishnendu Paul and Bimal Borah. Assembly Speaker Biswajit Daimary defeated former BTC chief Pramod Boro in Tamulpur, while AGP ministers Atul Bora and Keshav Mahanta held their constituencies, alongside first-time winner Tapan Das.
The BPF also maintained its influence in the Bodoland Territorial Region, with cabinet minister Charan Boro, Maneswar Brahma, Paniram Brahma, Thaneswar Basumatary, Rihon Daimary and BTC chief Hagrama Mohilary’s wife Sewli Mohilary among the winners.
In the Opposition camp, a handful of Congress candidates managed to hold ground, including Wajed Ali Choudhury, Jakir Hussain Sikdar, Rekibuddin Ahmed, Nurul Huda, Aminul Haque Laskar, Joy Prakash Das, Tanzil Hussain, Asif Mohammad Nazar and Aftabuddin Mollah. AIUDF chief Badruddin Ajmal won from Binnakandi, while Raijor Dal president Akhil Gogoi retained Sibsagar and Mehboob Muktar won Dhing. Trinamool Congress candidate Sherman Ali Ahmed also secured Mandia.
The election saw 722 candidates contesting across all 126 seats in a single-phase poll held on April 9, with women making up a small but notable share of winners, only six of 59 women candidates succeeded, four from the BJP, one each from AGP and BPF, and one from Congress.
At the centre of the NDA’s sweeping mandate stood Sarma, who has represented Jalukbari since 2001, winning uninterrupted for over two decades across party lines. Once a Congress leader mentored by Hiteswar Saikia and Tarun Gogoi, Sarma switched to the BJP in 2015 after internal party differences and played a pivotal role in establishing the party’s first government in Assam in 2016 alongside Sarbananda Sonowal. He later succeeded Sonowal as chief minister in 2021.
Widely credited with expanding the BJP’s footprint across Assam and the Northeast, Sarma has combined welfare-driven governance and development initiatives with an aggressive political approach centred on indigenous rights and state identity. His tenure has also been marked by controversy, particularly over eviction drives, crackdowns on child marriage and polygamy, enforcement of the Cattle Protection Act, and the restructuring or closure of madrasa institutions.
His public remarks, especially those referring to Bengali-speaking Muslims of Bangladeshi origin, commonly called “Miyas”, have drawn sharp criticism, including statements widely viewed as divisive and inflammatory. Opposition parties have accused him of deepening social polarisation, while he has also faced allegations of corruption and scrutiny over business interests linked to his family, which he has consistently denied.
Despite criticism, Sarma has remained one of the BJP’s most influential leaders nationally, serving as convenor of the North East Democratic Alliance (NEDA) and playing a key role in bringing most northeastern states under the NDA fold either directly or through alliances. Known for his organisational acumen and electoral strategy, he has also been a key campaigner for the party in multiple states.
Meanwhile, Senior Congress leader Jitendra Singh on Monday tendered his resignation as the party's general secretary in-charge of Assam with immediate effect, taking responsibility for the outcome of the assembly polls.
As the NDA consolidates its strongest-ever mandate in Assam and Sarma tightens his grip on Jalukbari, the verdict reinforces both the scale of the ruling alliance’s expansion and the continued centrality of one of the region’s most influential and polarising political figures.