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Assam Assembly elections 2026: Himanta Biswa Sarma leads in Jalukbari; 25-year-old political stronghold to continue?
Himanta Sarma entered politics through the Congress, where he served as a minister handling key departments including health, education, and finance.
Assam held elections for its 126-member Legislative Assembly on April 9, with chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma seeking a second full term in office. Early trends showed him leading in the constituency. Sarma, who moved from the Congress party to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in 2015, has been the most watched figure in this year's contest.
Who is Himanta Biswa Sarma?
Born in 1969 in Jorhat, Assam, Sarma entered politics through the Indian National Congress, where he served as a minister handling key departments including health, education, and finance under former CM Tarun Gogoi.
He was first elected to the Assam Legislative Assembly from Jalukbari in 2001 and has retained the seat ever since.
Himanta Sarma’s Jalukbari stronghold
The Jalukbari constituency has served as Sarma’s political base for twenty-five years. He first contested the seat in 1996 but lost to Bhrigu Kumar Phukan of the Asom Gana Parishad. In 2001, he won the seat as a Congress candidate and has remained undefeated since. After winning three times with Congress, he switched to the BJP and secured landslide victories in 2016 and 2021, earning over 77% of the total votes in the most recent election.
The voter population in Jalukbari has grown steadily alongside Sarma’s career, increasing from roughly 127,000 in 2001 to over 204,000 by 2021. Despite his change in political parties, his local support has remained consistent.
Candidates against Himanta Biswa Sarma
In the latest contest, Sarma faced multiple challengers, including Ramen Chandra Borthakur of the Raijor Dal, a veteran politician who has previously contested against him. The Congress alliance fielded Bidisha Neog. Neog is a relatively new figure in politics, having joined the Congress party about a year ago. She entered the race as the primary face of the opposition's attempt to unseat the chief minister from his longtime stronghold.
For the 2026 election, Neog focused her campaign on direct voter outreach and emotional local issues. A central theme of her campaign was "Justice for Zubeen," referring to the popular Assamese singer Zubeen Garg, who died in a scuba diving accident in September 2025. “Do not vote for me if I cannot give you justice for Zubeen Garg,” CM Sarma said last year.
Neog used this to criticise the government’s handling of the incident and connect with younger voters.
