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Assam Elections Results 2026: Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, also fondly called 'Mama', once again proved his worth in the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) by awarding it a hat-trick victory in the Assam elections. As per the counting trend, the Sarma-led BJP is set to register a landslide victory, with the BJP bagging 79 seats and 98 seats in alliance. Himanta Biswa Sarma has never won the Jalukbari assembly seat. He has represented the Jalukbari constituency in the Assam Legislative Assembly for five consecutive terms (2001–2021). Sarma himself was leading in his Jalukbari constituency, heading to his sixth consecutive win.

Assam was a tough turf for the BJP due to its unique social fabric, but since Sarma jumped off the Congress ship in 2015, months before state assembly elections, the saffron party's electoral fate was set on an ascending trajectory. The story of the BJP's ascent in Assam and Sarma's rise went parallel. Under Himanta's leadership, the BJP witnessed a record third victory, which is testimony to his grip over Assam politics. His switch from Congress to the saffron party was a turning point in Assam politics, which has changed the political landscape of the northeastern state.

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Factors That Made Sarma So Popular

Socialist Sarma: Currently, Sarma is the tallest politician in Assam in the absence of the late Congress leader Tarun Gogoi. His politics have been people-oriented. Be it with the BJP or the Congress, his popularity has never seen a decline. Sarma is one of a few leaders who go beyond their protocol to help the needy. His popularity breached all sections of society. Sarma avoids VIP culture and presents himself as the people's leader. His electoral success is not only the story of Sarma's political astuteness but also his social welfare programmes. His popularity earned a nickname 'Mama'.

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Political Activism: There are very few politicians in the country whose political activism remains alive even after coming to power. Himanta has always been on the ground to do people's work. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Himanta, along with Kerala's KK Shailaja, gained fame as a health minister for daring field visits and unparalleled crisis management to save human lives in a critical situation. It was his skilled management during the pandemic and devotion to serving people that earned him the CM post in 2021.

Stance On Illegal Infiltration: Sarma maintained an uncompromised, strong stance on the Bangladeshi infiltration issue in Assam. In his current tenure, his administration has freed over 1.5 lakh bigha of land since 2021, drew severe criticism from the Opposition, but he remained firm on his stand.

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Hindutva: Sarma took a hard line on Hindutva since switching sides. He has been critical of the growth of the Muslim population, illegal Madrasas, and has flagged demographic change in Assam. He emerged as a new Hindu poster boy in the BJP, who publicly takes an anti-Muslim stance.

Assamese Identity: When Sarma joined the BJP, the biggest challenge before him was to align the Assamese identity with the RSS and the BJP's nationalist ideologies, which he engineered successfully. Sarma's blending of identity politics and nationalism yielded electoral gains.

Development Works And Employment: The Sarma government in the last five years focused on roads, health, and education facilities, which have improved, strengthening CM's popularity. Sarma claimed to have exceeded the 2021 poll promise of creating 1 lakh government jobs, with over 1.5 lakh jobs delivered.

 


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