BJP sets 103 seat target for NDA, confirms alliance-based contest for 2026 Assam polls

The Bharatiya Janata Party on November 21 decided that it will contest the 2026 Assam Assembly elections in alliance with its NDA partners and set a winning target of 103 out of the 126 seats.

The decision was taken at a meeting of the BJP’s core committee, the party’s top policy-making body in the state, where leaders discussed organisational issues, development priorities and electoral preparations.

The meeting was attended by BJP national general secretary (organisation) B L Santhosh, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, state party president Diplu Saikia, Union minister Sarbananda Sonowal, national secretary MP Kamakhya Tasa, state in-charge Harish Dwivedi, state general secretary (organisation) Ranjib Kumar Sharma and other senior leaders.

Ahead of the meeting, the chief minister chaired the concluding session of the state-wide review tour that covered all 126 Assembly constituencies. Coordinators and in-charges presented detailed feedback on government initiatives and public outreach programmes.

Sarma told the meeting that the state government will take firm steps to curb social and legal concerns such as polygamy, ‘love jihad’ and ‘land jihad’. He also stated that strong action would be taken to remove illegal encroachers from forest lands, professional grazing reserves, village grazing reserves and tribal belts and blocks, particularly encroachments attributed to the Bengali-speaking Muslim community.

The chief minister further informed party workers that the government aims to arrive at a “just and acceptable” decision on granting tribal status to six communities in the upcoming assembly session after considering stakeholder consultations.

B L Santhosh, who arrived on Thursday for a two-day organisational review, held multiple meetings with party leaders and workers. He stressed the need for a clear strategy and booth-level strengthening to ensure the NDA reaches its 103-seat target. Santhosh also reviewed progress on organisational restructuring, expansion of booth committees and preparations for the upcoming polls.

He held discussions with newly appointed coordinators and constituency in-charges, offering guidance on building a favourable public narrative and ensuring strong local engagement.

Currently, the BJP has 64 MLAs in the Assembly. Its allies include the Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) and the United People’s Party Liberal (UPPL) and Bodo People’s Front (BPF) under the NDA umbrella.

Party leaders said the organisational overhaul and enhanced grassroots focus have been undertaken to secure a decisive victory in 2026.