Assam BJP Sets 103-Seat Target for 2026 Elections: Himanta Sarma Acknowledges Strategic Limitations

Himanta Sarma has expressed confidence that the party will "comfortably win" the upcoming elections due to its robust development agenda.

Assam:

On Friday, the Assam BJP unit made a strategic decision to contest the 2026 assembly elections alongside its alliance partners, setting an ambitious target for the NDA to secure 103 seats in the 126-member legislative assembly.

This resolution emerged from the Assam BJP's core committee meeting, where they announced their electoral strategy would emphasize the comprehensive development of the state while adhering to the BJP's fundamental ideological principles, according to a party statement.

Following the meeting, Chief Minister Himanta Sarma expressed confidence in a comfortable victory, attributing it to the party's strong development model. He referenced the BJP's recent electoral successes in Bihar, Maharashtra, Haryana, and Delhi as indicators of the party's continued momentum leading into the Assam elections.

Despite the ambitious target, Sarma acknowledged certain limitations, stating, "Our footprints will be in 103 seats for sure. We know our limitations and know how far we can go, so we are not making big plans or claims." He clarified that while the NDA would contest 103 seats, the BJP might not win all of them.

The Chief Minister added that Assamese Muslims would support the BJP, though the party does not anticipate votes from the 'Miya' community, a term used to describe Bengali-speaking Muslims in the state. "If they give, it is well and good, though we do not hope for it," he remarked.

Sarma also highlighted how the recent delimitation process has expanded the party's electoral opportunities: "Earlier, we could contest a maximum of 90 seats, but now due to delimitation, we can give tickets to more youth and women."

The Chief Minister announced forthcoming strict measures to address issues such as polygamy, 'Love Jihad,' and 'Land Jihad.' He indicated that action would be taken against illegal occupants from the Bengali-speaking Muslim community who have encroached upon government land, forest areas, professional grazing reserves (PGR), village grazing reserves (VGR), tribal belts, and satra lands.

Regarding tribal status for six communities, Sarma informed party workers that the government aims to reach an equitable and acceptable decision in the upcoming assembly session after consulting all stakeholders.

Dismissing any political challenges, Sarma emphasized the BJP's inclusive nature: "The BJP has members from all communities. If they had not supported us, the party could not have become such a big organisation. We support the demands of different communities because we are part of them."

The core committee meeting was attended by prominent figures including Sarma, BJP national general secretary (organisation) BL Santhosh, state party president Dilip Saikia, Union minister Sarbananda Sonowal, national secretary and MP Kamakhya Tasa, state-in-charge Harish Dwivedi, state general secretary (organisation) Rabindra Raju, and other senior leaders.

Prior to this meeting, the Chief Minister participated in the concluding session of the meeting with newly appointed coordinators and in-charges of all 126 assembly constituencies.