Himanta Biswa Sarma has been at the centre of Assam’s politics for over two decades, but the defining turn in his career came in 2015. He moved from the Congress to the Bharatiya Janata Party, a switch that changed both his trajectory and the saffron party’s fortunes in the Northeast.
After years in the Congress, where he held key portfolios and built a strong base, Sarma walked out following differences with then Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi and Congress central leadership. Within months of joining the BJP, he emerged as a central strategist, helping the party expand rapidly across the region.
His political base, however, has remained unchanged. Sarma’s strength has always been his ability to combine organisation with ground politics. He has represented Jalukbari since 2001, winning every election since then, first on a Congress ticket and later with the BJP. Over the years, he handled major departments like health, education and finance, building a reputation for administrative control.
In 2021, he became Assam’s Chief Minister, succeeding Sarbananda Sonowal. Since then, his focus has been on infrastructure, healthcare and governance delivery, with a working style that is direct and visible on the ground.
Beyond Assam, Sarma’s role is wider. He is seen as the BJP’s main political operator in the Northeast. As he heads into the 2026 Assembly elections, Sarma is not just leading a government — he is shaping the BJP’s political footprint across the region.
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In a fresh blow to the Mamata Banerjee-led party, now Trinamool Congress MP Sushmita Dev resigned from the party and the Rajya Sabha.
An India Today report details a political development as a Trinamool Congress Member of Parliament resigns from the Rajya Sabha and the party. Sources indicate the parliamentarian is likely to join the Bharatiya Janata Party after meeting the Assam Chief Minister in New Delhi. This marks the second such resignation from the Trinamool Congress within a week, pointing to defections across both the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha. Rebel parliamentarians have reportedly held meetings in the national capital, affecting the party's parliamentary strength. The shrinking opposition numbers in the upper house could assist the ruling party at the centre in passing legislation, including delimitation and the women's reservation bill. Meanwhile, the Trinamool Congress is seeking legal assistance from the Congress party to navigate the crisis and challenge the defections. The situation remains developing as more parliamentarians are reportedly considering switching allegiances in the coming days.
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The Supreme Court has refused to extend the transit anticipatory bail of Pawan Khera till Tuesday in a defamation case filed by the wife of Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma.
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Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma lost his cool when India Today's sister channel, The Lallantop's reporter questioned him over the use of abusive language by him.
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With just a few days left for the assembly elections, the political battle in Assam has turned personal. The Congress has targeted Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, alleging his wife, Riniki Bhuyan Sharma, holds multiple foreign passports and undisclosed offshore assets worth Rs 52,000 crore.
In this special ground report from Assam, India Today explores the shifting political landscape and who is winning the narrative battle ahead of the assembly elections.
In a special podcast on UnPolitics with India Today's Preeti Choudhry, Assam Congress President and party Member of Parliament from Jorhat, Gaurav Gogoi, discussed the upcoming state elections and the opposition's six-party alliance. In a startling development, he levelled serious allegations against Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma and some of the top BJP leaders in the state, saying they have alleged links with those arrested in the Zubeen Garg murder case. He said that the social media are full of Sarma's pictures with them.
The West Asia war has intensified as Israel's Defense Minister, Israel Katz, announced the elimination of Iran's Intelligence Minister, Esmail Khatib, in an airstrike.
