BJP launches campaign for 2026 Assam polls with Amit Shah rally in Guwahati
Amit Shah said the “biggest achievement” of the government led by Himanta Biswa Sarma was to “free lakhs of acres of land from illegal encroachers”
GUWAHATI: Union home minister Amit Shah on Friday launched the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and alliance partner Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) poll campaign for next year’s assembly election with a sharp attack on the Congress, and prophesying that the ruling alliance would win the 2026 elections.

“I would ask Congress to listen carefully. We will win the coming election and form the BJP-NDA government in Assam for the third time,” he declared at the meeting of the JBP and ally AGP’s newly elected panchayat representatives.
The meeting was attended by chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, union ministers Sarbananda Sonowal and Pabitra Margherita, state BJP chief Dilip Saikia and AGP’s president Atul Bora and working president Keshav Mahanta.
Leaders of United Peoples Party Liberal (UPPL), which is also part of the ruling alliance in the state, were absent.
“The biggest achievement of this present government is to free lakhs of acres of land from illegal encroachers… Gaurav Gogoi (state president of Congress) may oppose this, but this BJP government will remove encroachments from all illegally occupied land,” Shah said.
The union home minister said the government had received investment proposals of ₹5.18 lakh crore during the investment summit earlier this year. Out of that, MoUs worth ₹1.4 lakh crore have already started on the ground, he added.
Shah also spoke about the government providing 121,000 jobs in four years, as promised in the party’s 2021 election manifesto, the campaign to end child marriage, and the monthly stipends given to girl students to ensure they continue with their higher studies.
“Those who give protection to illegal immigrants, encroachers, are corrupt and visit Pakistan repeatedly (reference to Gaurav Gogoi’s visit to the neighbouring country), can’t take leadership of Assam. That can be done by Narendra Modi at the Centre and Himanta Biswa Sarma in the state,” said Shah.
The union minister urged representatives from both parties to work hard in the coming months and ensure that the present government wins not just the coming election but many more after that.
The BJP first came to power in the northeastern state in 2016 by defeating the Congress. Assembly polls in Assam are scheduled to be held around April-May next year.
ABOUT THE AUTHORUtpal ParasharA seasoned senior journalist, I have nearly three decades of experience across print, digital, and online platforms, covering political transitions, insurgencies, environmental issues, and development stories in India and Nepal. I am skilled in breaking news, leading editorial teams and launch of newspaper editions. I am adept at leveraging digital trends and social media to expand global reach, with a strong ethical foundation and a reputation for impactful journalism. An alumnus of Asian College of Journalism, I joined Hindustan Times in New Delhi as a trainee reporter in May 1997. Over the years, I have been posted in Dehradun, Kathmandu (Nepal) and Guwahati. Currently, as Senior Assistant Editor at Hindustan Times, I lead a team reporting on India’s northeastern states. My work involves in-depth analysis, and engaging multimedia storytelling across formats, including text, photo, video, and interactive content. I am skilled in producing timely, shareable content, leveraging digital platforms and social media to engage global audiences. Throughout my career with the Hindustan Times, I have led diverse editorial teams, designed capacity-building activities, and supported reporters in developing strong story ideas, ethical reporting practices, digital skills, and fact-checking techniques. As Senior Assistant Editor for Northeast India, I have been responsible for guiding correspondents through complex political, humanitarian, and community-level stories using multimedia formats. Earlier, as Foreign Correspondent in Nepal, I produced extensive reporting during Nepal’s democratic transition and the 2015 earthquake and its aftermath.Read More

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