Kamal Ghorui
GUWAHATI: Twin blows at the top. Gaurav Gogoi and Debabrata Saikia defeated. A campaign built on sharp attacks — including on CM’s family — and a pitch for justice for Zubeen Garg. Little to show at the ballot. Congress is left with a narrow, largely Muslim-majority base and shrinking reach in Assam.The party won 19 seats — all Muslim-majority constituencies. Its footprint has tightened to pockets once shared with AIUDF, which has now faded, handing Congress a consolidated but limited vote bank.CM Himanta Biswa Sarma’s sustained messaging appears to have cut through. He cast Congress as a ‘Miya’ party — a term for Bengali-speaking Muslims from Bangladesh. The label stuck, weakening Congress’ ability to expand among indigenous tribal and Hindu voters.Delimitation in 2023 compounded the problem. Muslim-majority seats fell from 35 to 22, narrowing the party’s electoral runway. Muslims account for about 30% of Assam’s electorate — roughly 75 lakh voters — and remain influential in these constituencies, but the concentration has isolated Congress politically.A late six-party alliance failed to shift momentum. Losses in upper and northern Assam underlined the slide. Assam Congress chief Gogoi and leader of the opposition Saikia — sons of former CMs Tarun Gogoi and Hiteswar Saikia, respectively — both fell in their family strongholds.For Congress, the verdict is stark. The road back runs through constituencies it no longer commands.Inside Congress, unease surfaced. Gogoi did not comment. Party’s Ripun Bora promised a review. “EVM manipulation is possible — results don’t match Gen Z anger over delayed justice for Zubeen or fury at price rises,” he said, adding many would question the result as the CM had predicted a near-100seat tally for NDA, a projection echoed by exit polls.
