Photo Courtesy: India Today Group
Guwahati: Tapas Das abandoned the Congress party on September 30. He was the candidate for Ward 18 in the upcoming Silchar Municipal Corporation elections. Now, he aligns with the Bharatiya Janata Party. The shift creates a political earthquake in the ward.
Das blamed a crumbling Congress structure for his departure. He claimed the party held no sway in the district. He argued that voters gain nothing from opposition candidates when the government remains firmly under BJP control. "The Congress organisation in the ward has become practically weak. There is little benefit in electing a Congress candidate when the government is run by the BJP. If we want to ensure development for the people, joining the BJP would be preferable," Das said.
The move stems from his support for Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma. He also credited the work of Minister Kaushik Rai for his change of heart. Das expects these leaders to drive progress in his area. Local analysts are now watching how this switch alters the electoral math for the impending vote.
Updated at 1st October 2026 at 1:47am
Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma hit the campaign trail on September 30, promising to fast track regional growth. He pledged to secure Rs 1 crore in state funding for every ward if the BJP captures the municipal body. Sarma pushed for a clean sweep of the remaining 40 seats, noting that his party already walked into two wins without a fight. His development roadmap includes a super-express corridor linking Silchar to Siliguri, a new greenfield airport at Doloo, and upgraded rail links that bypass Dima Hasao.
The electoral build-up hit a snag as the Congress fired back. Senior leader Abdul Khaleque accused the BJP of strong-arming the opposition, alleging the party is using threats and bribes to force candidates out of the race. Amidst the chaos, Sarma issued a warning to any candidate holding fake credentials, promising legal consequences and potential jail time for those caught cheating on their paperwork. Voters head to the booths on October 3, with results set for October 6.
Updated at 1st October 2026 at 6:45pm
The Assam Jatiya Parishad ratcheted up the pressure on the ruling party, flagging specific discrepancies in the educational affidavits of several BJP candidates. AJP leader Kunki Chowdhury accused election authorities of ignoring complaints against 13 nominees, including questionable degrees linked to Sikkim International University and Jodhpur National University. The AJP also raised red flags over a 25 year gap in the academic records of Ward 39 candidate Uttam Kumar Gowala and pointed to a court summons issued against Ward 17 candidate Ataur Rahman Laskar.
Chowdhury blasted Returning Officer Rahul Kumar Gupta for failing to properly scrutinize nomination papers. She claimed the vetting process lacked transparency and demanded a full verification of all documents before voters hit the booths on October 3.
Updated at 1st October 2026 at 9:52pm
Sarma took the fight to the Nagaon Lok Sabha bypoll on October 1, trading barbs with Congress MP Rakibul Hussain at a rally in Juria. The Chief Minister fired a sharp shot at Hussain, stating: "Those who are born to drink mother's milk are human beings, and those born to eat biryani are animals." The insult stems from Hussain’s previous claim that he was sent into the world to eat biryani, a retort to Sarma labeling him a Bakasura who gobbles up government funds.
The Chief Minister also took aim at Congress MLA Nurul Huda, accusing him of failing to deliver basic infrastructure and welfare in his Rupohihat constituency. Sarma claimed the region remains stalled with broken promises and empty pipes rather than functional water access. He also called for AIUDF chief Badruddin Ajmal to quit politics and hand the reins to his sons, alleging a quiet alliance between Congress and AIUDF. Voters will decide the Nagaon seat on October 6, with the count scheduled for October 9.
Updated at 2nd October 2026 at 1:47am
The biryani war of words took a bizarre turn when AIUDF chief Badruddin Ajmal waded into the fray. Ajmal ridiculed Congress MP Rakibul Hussain, claiming the lawmaker came from a poor background and was born eating dry fish rather than the biryani he now claims is his divine mission. Ajmal dismissed Hussain as mad for his recent rhetoric, deepening the fracture between the two opposition figures.
Campaigning in Nagaon, Sarma hammered his message home, claiming that voters who previously backed Congress have seen the light and are now shifting their support to the BJP. The Chief Minister touted his heavy rally schedule as proof of momentum, insisting the party is cruising toward a victory in the seat vacated by former Congress MP Pradyut Bordoloi.
Updated at 2nd October 2026 at 5:49pm
Political friction hit the Barak Secretariat on Tuesday as four Congress MLAs crossed party lines to greet the Chief Minister. Legislators Zubair Anam, Jakaria Ahmed, Aminur Rashid Choudhury, and Aminul Haque Laskar held a meeting with Himanta Biswa Sarma, offering him a public felicitation. While the gesture stopped short of a formal defection, the move suggests a deepening divide within the Congress camp.
Sarma leaned into the optics, having recently bragged that he could fish out Congress supporters whenever he craved a political meal. He likened his control over opposition assets to catching Rahu or Borali fish. The Chief Minister also hammered away at Congress leader Gaurav Gogoi over his campaign focus. Sarma dismissed Gogoi and Rahul Gandhi for obsessing over jail time during election cycles, telling them to stick to roads, schools, and government welfare programs instead. Sarma noted that prisoners do not cast ballots, and candidates should focus on the people who actually do.
Updated at 2nd October 2026 at 9:49pm
The pressure on the Congress camp intensified further at a recent rally where a young performer recited a poem titled Gaddar Congress. The piece directly targeted Gaurav Gogoi, claiming he would face stiff resistance in Upper Assam and suggesting he would be forced to seek refuge elsewhere. Sarma watched the performance and responded with clear approval.
Sarma also used a rally in Laharighat on September 28 to label Congress MLA Asif Nazar a venture MLA. He mocked Nazar for his work habits, alleging the legislator stays asleep well into the morning hours and contributes nothing to his constituency.
Updated at 3rd October 2026 at 1:47am
The political barbs continued as Sarma turned his sights on AIUDF chief Badruddin Ajmal. Calling the veteran politician a tiger no longer, the Chief Minister claimed age had eroded Ajmal’s strength and declared he was no longer fit to represent Assam in Parliament. Ajmal, a three-term MP currently serving as an MLA from Binnakandi, faces an uphill battle in the upcoming Nagaon bypoll.
Congress state president Gaurav Gogoi fired back with a warning: if Rahul Gandhi wins the premiership, a case will be filed against Sarma the very next day, leading to his imprisonment. Gogoi also pressed his claim that the current BJP government was built on vote theft. Sarma brushed off the talk of jail time, telling voters to look at concrete results like roads and welfare schemes rather than listening to opposition talk about prisoners who have no say at the ballot box.
Updated at 3rd October 2026 at 1:48pm
The Nagaon bypoll race turned ugly at a rally in Borbori, where AIUDF chief Badruddin Ajmal leveled violent threats against the Chief Minister. Ajmal declared he would gouge out Sarma's eyes to stop him from seeing Miya people and claimed both Sarma and minister Piyush Hazarika would be deported to Bangladesh. Ajmal also threatened to jail BJP candidate Debashish Sharma within four months, offering a reprieve only if the candidate recited the Kalima.
Sarma hit back at Congress MP Rakibul Hussain, claiming the lawmaker insulted his parents by questioning his childhood origins. Sarma indicated he might drag the dispute into court. Meanwhile, Congress suffered a setback in Rupahihat when a campaign caravan faced protesters waving black flags. The crowd chanted slogans demanding the exit of senior party figures, including Gaurav Gogoi, Rakibul Hussain, and candidate Sibamoni Bora.
Updated at 3rd October 2026 at 9:51pm
The war of words over the Nagaon bypoll reached a new low at a rally in Kaloni Jalah on October 3. Congress President Gaurav Gogoi mocked the Chief Minister, claiming that with a beard, Sarma is indistinguishable from Badruddin Ajmal. Gogoi also likened Sarma to the protagonist in the film Ghajini, asserting that the Chief Minister forgets his own statements every 15 minutes. Beyond the insults, Gogoi accused the administration of using welfare initiatives like the Orunodoi scheme as tools to intimidate voters rather than addressing the core needs of the public.
Gogoi also raised the stakes on the Mumtaz Begum controversy, alleging that the state government might subject her to an encounter. He claimed to have escalated the matter to the Centre and the Ministry of External Affairs. Sarma shot back during his own campaign trail, dismissing the claims as manufactured political theater. The Chief Minister maintained that Mumtaz Begum is safe and that her son remains in regular contact with her. Sarma claimed the family is now supportive of the BJP, despite what he called desperate attempts by opposition parties to exploit their situation for votes.
Sarma further pilloried the Congress leadership's fixation on his potential imprisonment. He questioned the feasibility of Rahul Gandhi becoming Prime Minister, labeling him a mad man and noting that there is no path to a national election until 2029. He reiterated that his focus remains on state infrastructure and welfare, while calling the opposition's jail talk a tired distraction from the real issues at the ballot box.
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