Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma Says BJP’s Reach Limited to 103 Seats Under New Population Pattern

By A Staff Reporter

Guwahati, Assam: Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Saturday said the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and its alliance partners can realistically contest and influence about 103 seats in the 126-member Assam Assembly, citing demographic and population distribution patterns as the key factor behind this assessment.

“In Assam, we can’t win more than 100 seats. That is the population pattern. We can contest in 103 of the 126 seats in Assam,” Sarma said. He clarified that while the party is free to field candidates across all constituencies, its strongest footprint would remain within these 103 seats. “It does not mean that we can't contest in other seats… in terms of the population pattern, the BJP and our ally parties can only reach 103 seats. Our footprint will be in 103 seats.”

Sarma said the recent delimitation exercise has reshaped the political landscape, creating 10–15 new constituencies where no incumbent MLAs exist. He noted that this offers the party room to introduce fresh candidates. “Earlier BJP would have contested in 90 constituencies. But after the delimitation, 10–15 new constituencies have formed where there is no MLA today. Organically, we can bring forward youth and women this time,” he said.

Commenting on electoral support, Sarma claimed the BJP would secure votes from Assamese Muslims but not from the Miya Muslim community. “BJP will get Assamese Muslims' vote, but will not get Miya Muslim vote,” he stated, reflecting ongoing political and demographic dynamics within the state.