Amit Shah vows 3rd term in Assam ahead of 2026 polls

GUWAHATI: Union home minister Amit Shah on Friday delivered a politically charged address at the NDA Panchayat Pratinidhi Sammelan in Guwahati, marking the BJP’s formal launch of its campaign for the 2026 Assam assembly elections. In a rally attended by thousands of newly elected panchayat representatives, Shah declared that the BJP-led NDA would return to power for a third consecutive term in Assam, citing the party’s grassroots strength and its “uncompromising stand” on infiltration and land encroachment. With about seven months to go for the assembly elections, Shah’s speech blended ideological assertion, governance claims, and sharp attacks on the Congress, setting the tone for what promises to be a high-stakes electoral battle. “Assam cannot be represented by people sympathising with infiltrators or encouraging encroachment,” Shah said, in a pointed reference to opposition leaders. “Assam cannot be led by people who visit Pakistan frequently,” he added, without naming names but clearly targeting Congress figures. Shah’s speech leaned heavily on the BJP’s long-standing plank of protecting Assamese identity and reclaiming encroached land. He claimed that the Assam government had freed over 1,29,548 acres of land from infiltrators, despite resistance from Congress MP Gaurav Gogoi. “We have restored the sanctity of Vaishnavite monasteries by evicting infiltrators from across Assam,” Shah said, invoking the cultural and religious symbolism of the satras—monastic institutions central to Assamese Vaishnavism. Shah’s remarks—targeting Congress leaders for “sympathizing with infiltrators” and “frequent visits to Pakistan”—were not just local jabs. They echoed the BJP’s national rhetoric on internal security and cultural nationalism, themes that resonate across Hindi heartland states and border regions alike.