Assam 2026 Polls: Congress–BJP Spar as Gogoi Targets CM, Party Focuses on Tribal Agenda

With the 2026 Assam Assembly elections approaching, political exchanges between the Congress and the BJP have intensified. APCC president Gaurav Gogoi targeted Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma at a Guwahati event, echoing a line once used by his father, former CM Tarun Gogoi, and asserting that people would question Sarma once fear and “syndicate politics” end.

The BJP hit back strongly, with leader Alokmoni Bhattacharya dismissing the comparison and hailing Sarma as Assam’s best chief minister, citing development work and cultural preservation while questioning the Congress leadership’s connect with Assamese identity.

Amid the war of words, the Congress highlighted its policy thrust by receiving a Core Scheduled Tribe Study Group report, which will help shape its 2026 manifesto. Based on statewide consultations, the report flags alleged violations of tribal land and forest rights and recommends measures including stricter land protection laws, bhumi patta for tribal forest dwellers, a Tribal University, ST status for Amri Karbi, inclusion of Bodo villages under BTC welfare, and new development councils for plains tribes.