Himanta Biswa Sarma brings back BJP for third consecutive term in Assam

Guwahati: Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma scripted history as BJP on its own winning 82 seats. Sarma led from the front and held as many as 240 rallies in the run up to polls.

Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma has not campaigned in 25 constituencies where ‘Miya Muslims’—a pejorative term for Bengali-speaking Muslims in the state—are the dominant voters.

Sarma piloted some flagship schemes like ‘Orunodoi’. The Orunodoi scheme is a welfare scheme aimed at women where the state pays Rs 1,250 a month to each beneficiary. State government started the Orunodoi scheme in 2020 during the Covid period, giving Rs 830 per month to 1.8 million women. The coverage has now reached 4 million while the pay-out has been increased to Rs 1,250 a month. BJP in its manifesto has promised that if voted back to power it will increase the payout to Rs 3000 and add more women to this Direct Benefit transfer scheme.


In March this year Sarma distributed the benefits of Orunodoi 3.0 in Guwahati transferring Rs. 9000 to 40 lakh beneficiaries, the largest Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) scheme in the state ever. Women voters rallied around BJP.

This scheme as observers feel is a real game changer as it has created lasting impact among the voters.


Sarma has been in controversy for his ranting against Miya and even before assembly polls he had heated arguments with several media persons on different issues. However, he did not lower his tone and continued with an aggressive campaign. Sarma has been constantly talking about the changing demographic profile of Assam and the need to save the state. Sarma brought a law banning polygamy.

A delimitation exercise was carried out in 2023, assembly was redrawn. Sarma promised to bring Uniform Civil code (UCC)in his second stint as chief minister.

As soon as Sarma took over as the chief minister in 2021 it was the height of COVID-19 pandemic, navigating the pandemic Sarma bolstered state infrastructure.

Sarma's political debut was under Congress chief minister Hiteswar Saikia and while his public life was under former chief minister Prafulla Kumar Mahanta. Mahanta was leading All Assam Student Union which anchored the six years long anti foreigners’ movement (1979 to 1985) which led to the inking of Assam Accord.

From 2001 to 2012, Sarma was a trusted lieutenant of former chief minister Tarun Gogoi. Since 2013 Sarma led the dissident camp in Congress and vying for leadership change, with Congress high command unyielding he joined BJP in 2015 and became blue eyed boy of BJP. Since he joined the BJP, he has emerged as poster boy of Hindutva.

Sarma in his five-year tenure-initiated series of eviction drives. The BJP government has carried out a series of eviction drives from government and forest land, recovering about 1.5 lakh bighas from illegal possession. The state government had announced earlier that nearly 50,000 people were evicted in these drives. Sarma announced that in this second stint he will recover the remaining areas. As per the government at least five lakh bighas are under encroachment.

During his tenure as health and education minister in the Congress government Himanta created huge jobs. One lakh teachers were regularized; around 40,000 people were absorbed in NRHM. Services like 108 and 102 were introduced, new medical colleges came up and generated a lot of goodwill from the family members of those who benefited from these services.

Himanta continued with regularisation of teacher jobs. During COVID-19 pandemic he was leading from the front and was seen in every nook and corner of the state arranging medical facilities for the patients.

Assam had witnessed violent protests in 2019 and early 2020 after Parliament passed the CAA, which makes minority communities such as Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains, Parsis and Christians from Afghanistan, Bangladesh, and Pakistan eligible to apply for Indian citizenship. Five people were killed in the protests. BJP workers were targeted by protesters and the whole state was under curfew and bandhs. Himanta took to streets and started public meetings garnering support in favour of CAA.

In 2021 assembly polls Sarma campaigned that the government will waive micro finance loans taken by women. Soon after coming to power, he brought Microfinance Incentive & Relief Scheme (AMFIRS) 2021 and lakhs of women were relieved from paying loans owed to MFI. The loan amount was estimated to be around 12,000 Crore. These created a pool of women voters who added to Himanta voters. In the last five years Assam government gave close to 1.70 Lakhs government jobs.

Sarma added to his list of voters and initiated outreach to youths and has earned the title of ‘mama’ (uncle). In election rallies was seen running to the podium. He projects himself as an energetic and tireless politician and moves out for midnight inspection of infrastructure projects.