When will Himanta Biswa Sarma repay Rs 2 Lakh to his friend?
Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma owes Rs 2 lakh to Advocate General Devajit Saikia, a debt unchanged across his 2016, 2021, and 2026 election affidavits. His wife Riniki also owes Saikia Rs 1 lakh. A decade on, the loan remains unpaid.
- Mar 22, 2026,
- Updated Mar 22, 2026, 4:21 PM IST
Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma can move mountains, politically speaking. He can redraw alliances, reshape narratives, and reconfigure the BJP's entire Northeast strategy before breakfast. What he apparently cannot do is repay a Rs 2 lakh loan to one of his closest friends.
As per Sarma’s election affidavit filed with the Election Commission on March 20, 2026, the chief minister still owes Rs 2 lakh to his childhood friend Devajit Saikia, the Advocate General of the Assam government and secretary of the Board of Control for Cricket in India. The same figure appeared in his 2021 affidavit. And his 2016 affidavit. The loan, it appears, has aged better than most friendships.
Sarma draws approximately Rs 1.60 lakh per month in salary and perks. A back-of-the-envelope calculation suggests he could have settled the debt in just more than a year, considering he save 30 per cent of his salary.
And it isn't just the chief minister. His wife, Riniki Bhuyan Sharma, also owes Rs 1 lakh to the same generous friend, a liability that has faithfully made the journey from one affidavit to the next across three election cycles.
Saikia, for his part, holds two of the most consequential positions in the state’s legal and India’s sporting establishment. Whether he has ever sent a polite reminder remains unknown.
In Indian politics, loyalty is often described as priceless. In this case, it appears to cost exactly Rs 3 lakh, and not a rupee has been collected.