Congress was reduced to 29 seats in 2021. Today would test if voters believed the corruption case.
In the hill districts and river plains of Assam, voters who cast their ballots on April 9 are now watching the slow arithmetic of democracy unfold across 126 assembly seats. Five constituencies — Haflong, Nalbari, Tamulpur, Samaguri, and Barchalla — are among the first to yield their verdicts, offering early glimpses into whether a decade of opposition exile has sharpened Congress into a credible challenger, or whether the BJP-led alliance retains the trust of a state it has governed since 2016. At stake is not merely a count of seats, but a reckoning over what Assam's electorate makes of power, accountability, and the weight of serious allegations leveled at those who hold office.
- Congress has staked its entire campaign on corruption charges against Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma — including claims of foreign passports and undisclosed Dubai properties — raising the personal and political stakes to an unusually sharp pitch.
- Sarma has denied every allegation and responded with a criminal complaint against the Congress spokesperson who aired them, turning what began as an electoral attack into an active legal confrontation.
- The BJP-led alliance enters counting day from a position of structural strength, having won 75 seats in 2021, but faces a more aggressive and unified opposition than it encountered five years ago.
- Congress is projecting a 72-73 seat majority — a claim that would represent a dramatic reversal of fortune for a party reduced to 29 seats last cycle — testing whether confidence reflects genuine ground movement or wishful arithmetic.
- Results trickling in from Haflong, Nalbari, Tamulpur, Samaguri, and Barchalla are being read as early weather vanes for the full 126-seat outcome, with each tally sharpening the picture of where Assam is heading.
The Election Commission began releasing results today across Assam's 126 assembly constituencies, with five seats — Haflong, Nalbari, Tamulpur, Samaguri, and Barchalla — among those being counted following a single-day vote on April 9. The outcome carries unusual weight: it will determine whether a decade of opposition politics has finally positioned Congress to reclaim a state it once dominated, or whether the BJP-led alliance can defend the commanding majority it built in 2021.
Five years ago, that majority looked unassailable. The BJP and its partners — Asom Gana Parishad and the United People's Party Liberal — together won 75 seats, while Congress, contesting 95, managed only 29. The defeat was comprehensive, and the party spent the years since searching for a way back.
The 2026 campaign gave Congress a sharper edge. The party focused its attack on Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma personally, alleging that he and his wife held multiple foreign passports and owned undisclosed property in Dubai. Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge went further, calling the Assam government the most corrupt in the country. Sarma denied the allegations entirely and filed a criminal complaint against Congress spokesperson Pawan Khera, who had made the claims at a press conference — a legal countermove that kept the controversy alive throughout the campaign.
Riding that narrative, Congress projected it could win 72 to 73 seats — enough to form a government and end its long absence from power. Whether voters found the corruption argument compelling enough to shift their allegiance, or whether the incumbent alliance held firm, would become clear as the Election Commission announced tallies throughout the day.
The Election Commission was releasing results today for five constituencies in Assam—Haflong, Nalbari, Tamulpur, Samaguri, and Barchalla—as part of a broader count across the state's 126 assembly seats. Voting had taken place on a single day, April 9, and the outcome would reshape the political landscape of a state that has been roiling with accusations, denials, and the prospect of genuine power shift.
Five years ago, the picture seemed settled. The BJP-led alliance had swept to power with 75 seats, a commanding majority. The BJP itself claimed 60 of those, while its partners—Asom Gana Parishad with 9 and the United People's Party Liberal with 6—filled out the coalition. Congress, the party that once dominated Assam politics, had been reduced to 29 seats from the 95 it had contested. The defeat was thorough. The party had spent a decade in opposition, watching from the sidelines as the state's political center of gravity shifted decisively rightward.
But the 2026 campaign had been different. Congress came back swinging, and its ammunition was personal. The party trained its fire on Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, accusing him and his wife, Riniki Bhuyan Sharma, of holding multiple foreign passports and maintaining undisclosed properties in Dubai. The allegations were specific, pointed, and designed to cut at the heart of the government's legitimacy. Sarma pushed back hard, denying everything and filing a criminal complaint against Congress spokesperson Pawan Khera, who had made the claims public at a press conference. The dispute had the feel of something that would not be resolved in a courtroom anytime soon.
Congress had built its entire campaign around the theme of corruption. Party chief Mallikarjun Kharge had gone further than the passport allegations, describing the current Assam government as the most corrupt in the country. The message was blunt: Sarma and his allies had enriched themselves while the state languished. It was a familiar opposition playbook, but in a state where voters had grown restless, it carried weight. Congress was projecting confidence, claiming it could win between 72 and 73 of the 126 seats—enough to form a government and end a decade of exile.
Today's results would test whether that confidence was justified. The five constituencies being counted—Haflong, Nalbari, Tamulpur, Samaguri, and Barchalla—were part of a much larger picture, but they would offer early signals about the direction of voter sentiment. Had the corruption narrative gained traction? Had the personal attacks on Sarma moved the needle? Or would the BJP-led alliance hold its ground, as incumbents often do? The answers would begin arriving as the Election Commission announced the tallies, seat by seat, throughout the day.
Citações Notáveis
Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge described the current Assam government as the most corrupt in the country, accusing Sarma of enriching himself instead of working for the people.— Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge
A Conversa do Hearth Outra perspectiva sobre a história
Why do these five particular seats matter so much? Are they bellwethers, or just the ones being counted first?
They're part of the full 126-seat count, so they're not uniquely predictive. But they're the ones the Election Commission is announcing results for today, which means they're the first window into how the state has voted. Early trends in any five seats can shift the narrative quickly.
Congress is claiming 72 to 73 seats. That's a very specific number. How confident are they really?
That's the kind of number a party announces when it believes its internal polling. But it's also a claim made before results arrive—it's meant to shape expectations and give supporters something to believe in. We'll know in hours whether it holds up.
The accusations about foreign passports and Dubai properties—did those stick with voters, or are they just noise?
That's what today will tell us. Congress bet heavily on the corruption angle, made it personal, made it about Sarma's character. If Congress gains ground, it suggests the allegations resonated. If the BJP holds, it suggests voters either didn't believe them or didn't care enough to change their vote.
What's the baseline here? What would count as a surprise?
Congress was reduced to 29 seats in 2021. If they're approaching 72 or 73, that's a historic swing. Even getting to 50 would be a major comeback. Anything less than 40 probably means the corruption narrative didn't move enough voters to matter.
And if the BJP holds?
Then Sarma survives the accusations, and the alliance stays in power. It would suggest that five years of governance, whatever its flaws, still outweighs the opposition's case against him.