Himanta’s ‘Miya’ label stuck to Cong, voters gradually alienated

Guwahati: A double whammy to the top. Gaurav Gogoi and Debabrata Saikia were defeated. The movement is based on sharp attacks – including on the CM’s family – and a demand for justice for Zubin Garg. There was little showing at the polls. The Congress is left with a narrow, largely Muslim-majority base and its influence in Assam is shrinking.The party won 19 seats – all in Muslim-majority constituencies. Its footprint has tightened into pockets it once shared with the AIUDF, which has now disappeared, leaving the Congress with a consolidated but limited vote bank.centimeter Himanta Biswa SarmaThe continued messaging appears to have been successful. He described the Congress as a “Miya” party – a term given to Bengali-speaking Muslims in Bangladesh. The label stuck, weakening the Congress’s ability to expand its influence among indigenous tribal and Hindu voters.Delimitation in 2023 complicates matters further. The number of Muslim-majority seats fell from 35 to 22, narrowing the party’s electoral field. Muslims make up about 30% of Assam’s electorate (about 7.5 million voters) and remain influential in these constituencies, but their concentration has politically isolated the Congress.A late six-party coalition failed to reverse the momentum. Losses in upper and northern Assam have added to the decline. Assam Congress chief Gogoi and opposition leader Saikia – sons of former chief ministers Tarun Gogoi and Hiteswar Saikia respectively – both fell in their respective family strongholds.For Congress, the sentence was harsh. The path back passes through constituencies it no longer controls.Inside Congress, unease surfaced. Gogoi did not comment. The party’s Ripun Bora promised a review. “EVM manipulation is possible – the results do not match Gen Z’s anger at the delay in justice for Zubeen or their anger at the rising prices,” he said, adding that many would question the results as the CM predicted that the NDA would close to 100 seats, a prediction that echoed the exit polls.