DWINDLING NUMBERS!! Congress Charts Strategy in Assam to Challenge BJP in 2026
Chaired by party president Mallikarjun Kharge and attended by former president Rahul Gandhi, the meet underscored a resolve to capitalize on public discontent with the BJP’s governance under CM Sarma.
Senior Congress leaders from Assam convened at the party’s Indira Bhawan headquarters on Thursday to strategize for the state’s 2026 assembly elections, signaling a unified push to unseat the Bharatiya Janata Party after a decade in power. The meeting, chaired by party president Mallikarjun Kharge and attended by former president Rahul Gandhi, underscored a resolve to capitalize on public discontent with the B.J.P.’s governance under Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma.
Among the attendees were K.C. Venugopal, the All India Congress Committee’s general secretary for organization, Jitendra Singh, the party’s Assam in-charge, Gaurav Gogoi, deputy leader in the Lok Sabha, and Bhupen Bora, the state Congress chief. The leaders agreed to present a cohesive front, intensifying efforts to highlight alleged corruption and divisive tactics during Sarma’s tenure. A concerted campaign against the chief minister is set to begin in March, with the party promising to lay evidence of malfeasance before voters.
Kharge, in a statement on X, predicted that Assam’s 35 million residents would reject the B.J.P.’s “politics of corruption, division and vendetta” in favor of Congress-led change. Bora echoed this, calling Sarma “the most corrupt chief minister in the country” and pledging to expose his administration’s record.
The 126-member Assam Assembly’s term ends May 20, 2026, setting the stage for a high-stakes contest. The B.J.P., which has governed since 2016, faces a Congress emboldened by internal unity and a narrative of accountability. Tensions have already flared, with Sarma recently alleging ties between Gogoi’s wife and Pakistan’s ISI—an accusation the Congress dismisses as retaliation for Gogoi’s criticism.
As the party prepares a similar strategy session for Kerala on Friday, its Assam leaders are betting that a focus on governance failures can reclaim the state.
