Himanta Biswa Sarma’s record third victory in Assam not only saved power but also ushered in a new and challenging political era for Muslims. BJP CM Himanta, who won 82 out of 126 seats, made many objectionable statements against Muslims in election rallies. On the other hand, the victory of Badruddin Ajmal and the defeat of his party AIUDF has indicated a significant change in the Muslim politics of Assam. But the benefit to the community has now turned into a big question. How?

Himanta Biswa Sarma’s big statements against Muslims

Himanta Biswa Sarma called Muslims ‘Mian’ and made many controversial and strong statements one after the other:

• Shoot signal: He shared a video on social media (which was later removed), in which he was allegedly seen making a symbolic gesture of firing a rifle at people of the Muslim community. On this, AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi had lodged a complaint with the police.
• ‘Ready to go to jail’: Responding to Owaisi’s complaint, Sarma said, ‘I am ready to go to jail, what do I have to do? I don’t know about any video… but I am against Bangladeshi infiltrators and will remain against them.
• Call for ‘non-cooperation’: In February 2026, he called for ‘non-cooperation’ and ‘civil disobedience’ against Muslims of Bengali origin, so as to create an environment in which ‘they cannot live in Assam’. He appealed to the people, ‘Before boarding a rickshaw, think whose rickshaw you are boarding.’
• ‘Go away on your own’ strategy: In March 2026, he openly said that he wanted to create such ‘pressure’ that Bengali-speaking Muslims would ‘go away on their own’. He said measures like eviction, depriving government benefits and firing rubber bullets at illegal infiltrators can be taken.
• Direct warning: Sarma also said, ‘If the Muslim population in Assam crosses 50% then non-Muslims will not survive.’

Will the third term of the Chief Minister increase the problems of Muslims?

Given the past policies and future promises of Sarma and his government, the next five years could be extremely difficult for the Muslims of Assam, especially those of Bengali origin, for 3 reasons:

• Political marginalization in the assembly: After the 2023 delimitation, the number of seats where Muslims had influence reduced from 35 to an estimated 20. BJP did not give ticket to even a single Muslim candidate in the 2026 elections. The Muslim vote got completely divided between parties like Congress and AIUDF.
• Implementation of strict policies: BJP’s manifesto promises to implement Uniform Civil Code (UCC), make strict laws against ‘Love Jihad’ and ‘Land Jihad’. Besides, there has been talk of vacating the land from illegal infiltrators (whose target is Bengali Muslims) and giving land rights under ‘Mission Basandhara’.
• Continuation of evictions and oppression: Sarma had already clearly said that during the last tenure, encroachment was removed from more than 1.5 lakh bighas of land and this campaign will continue. Thousands of people have been sent to Bangladesh under the ‘pushback’ policy, in which many Indian citizens have also been victims.

So will we not get the benefit of Badruddin Ajmal’s victory?

Badruddin Ajmal won from the newly created Binnakandi seat by 35,380 votes, but this could not conceal a major devastation for his party AIUDF. The party got only 2 seats, which is its worst performance till date. From this:

• Limited advantage: It is a big victory for Ajmal to return to state politics after losing his Dhubri seat in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. But with only two MLAs it is extremely difficult to mount effective resistance in the Assembly.
• Historical decline: The downfall of AIUDF, once seen as the ‘protector’ of Muslims, began after the release of the draft NRC in 2018. About 19 lakh people were left out, half of whom were Bengali Muslims. The party failed to protect its vote bank.
• Migration to Congress: Assam Congress breaks alliance with AIUDF to avoid BJP’s allegations of ‘Muslim appeasement’. The result was that Muslim voters left AIUDF and turned to Congress.

BJP’s landslide victory and Himanta Biswa Sarma’s bold strategy have definitely created an environment where they can implement their agenda more strongly. Badruddin Ajmal’s victory is certainly a symbolic achievement, but there is little hope of any major political benefit for the Muslims of Assam from it. The twin challenges of political marginalization and harsh policies will remain the biggest hurdles facing the community in the next five years.