From Zubeen Garg death to 'vote chori': Key political issues in 2026 Assam Assembly polls

Assam is gearing up for its state assembly elections, a high-stakes contest in the country's politically significant Northeast. The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party, which has governed Assam since 2016, is seeking another term, while the Congress and regional parties are attempting to regroup and present a united challenge.

The state’s 126-member assembly will be elected amid debates over development, SIR, ethnic identity, infiltration, and flood situation. (Image credit: ANI)

One month after his death in 2025, singer Zubeen Garg’s legacy became a political flashpoint ahead of the upcoming polls. The ruling BJP and opposition Congress have been invoking his songs and film dialogues to strike an emotional chord with voters. While the Congress targeted the Assam government over probe into of his death, the has rolled out the “Moiu Zubeen, Amiu Zubeen” campaign, and intensified its investigation, projecting its push for justice and a tribute to Assamese identity. (Image credit: PTI)

Another key poll issue raised by the BJP is making Assam "free from infiltrators." Union home minister Amit Shah launched the poll campaign in the state in December saying, “Elections will come in March, April. Choose such a govt that does not allow infiltrators to enter and one that makes Assam a developed state.” (Image credit: PTI)

Even though Congress has not been in power in the state since 2016, its "mistakes" have already been a part of the poll campaign rhetoric launched by the saffron party. "Modi government is correcting Congress's mistakes," PM Modi said in Guwahati in December during the inauguration of the new terminal of Lokapriya Gopinath Bardoloi International Airport. (Image credit: PTI)

Opposition parties, led by the Congress, are raising "vote chori" charge against the BJP. They have also approached the police accusing the BJP of “vote theft” through the ongoing Special Revision (SR) of electoral rolls. They alleged that the exercise was being misused to influence the voters’ list ahead of the upcoming assembly elections. (Image credit: ANI)

The Congress is positioning Assam’s annual floods as a key political weapon against the BJP. APCC president Gaurav Gogoi has accused the state government of poor planning, delayed relief and neglect of flood-hit regions like the Barak Valley. By highlighting damaged infrastructure, stranded residents and alleged administrative apathy, the opposition aims to frame floods as evidence of governance failure and mobilise public anger against the ruling party.

Another key issue that the opposition is drawing attention to is the land grab situation in parts of the state. Assam Pradesh Congress Committee president Gaurav Gogoi has launched a sharp attack on chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, accusing him of neglecting tribal communities and “snatching their land to hand it over to the Adani group.” Gogoi made the remarks while concluding a two-day tour of the Dima Hasao hill district, where he said local residents were prepared to “stand up against fear” and reject the BJP’s policies. (Image credit: PTI)