BJP Tightens Grip on Northeast as Himanta Biswa Sarma Secures Second Term in Assam

While the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) celebrates a historic breakthrough in West Bengal, it has simultaneously cemented its "fortress in the Northeast."

On Monday, Himanta Biswa Sarma secured his second consecutive term as Chief Minister of Assam, riding a wave of support for his "security and growth" agenda.

The BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) has crossed the majority mark, leading or winning in 102 seats in the 126-member assembly.

However, the results also tell a story of a deep religious polarisation: while the BJP swept indigenous and urban belts, the Muslim vote appeared fragmented between the Congress and other parties like Badruddin Ajmal's AIUDF.

The BJP which had registered a 33.6% Vote Share in 2016 has a vote share of 38.59% in 2026. The 5% positive swing can be attributed to extreme consolidation of the Hindu vote behind the BJP.

Assam Election Results: Why Did Muslim Votes Split Between Congress and AIUDF?

On the contrary the Muslim vote appears divided. Badruddin Ajmals' party faced the brunt of the delimitation of constituencies registering a vote share of just 5.29% with 2 leads while in 2016 they had a 9.4% vote share.

The Congress' vote share is largely stable going down from 30% in 2021 to 29.26% in 2026.

For the Congress the support appears to be largely from the Muslim voters with 18 of the 19 Congress candidates leading being Muslim.

Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma proved his mettle in Jalukbari, securing a massive 112,186 votes and defeating his Congress rival by a margin of over 80,000.

The biggest casualty of the day was Congress's face in the state, Gaurav Gogoi. In a stunning upset, Gogoi lost the Jorhat constituency to BJP's Hitendra Nath Goswami by a margin of 23,182 votes, marking a symbolic end to the Gogoi family's undisputed influence in Upper Assam.

Goswami secured 69,439 votes, leading by a margin of 23,182 votes, as per the ECI. Gogoi, who secured 46,257 votes, was unable to close the gap as the final round of counting concluded.

As per the latest data from the Election Commission of India, the BJP was leading in 52 seats and had won 30 seats, while its allies, the Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) and the Bodoland People's Front (BPF), were leading in 20 seats.

Congress was leading in 18 seats, and it had won one seat while its ally, Raijor Dal - RJRD, was leading in two seats.

(With inputs from ANI)