From council chiefs to MLAs: Tankeswar Rabha and Tuliram Ronghang make the shift to Assam Assembly

Two autonomous council leaders of Assam, Tuliram Ronghang and Tankeswar Rabha, have transitioned from regional governance roles to the Assam Legislative Assembly, marking a notable development in the state’s tribal and regional political landscape. Both leaders, who previously headed autonomous councils in their respective regions, are now set to play a role in state-level policymaking following their election as Members of the Legislative Assembly (MLAs).

Ronghang, who has served as the Chief Executive Member (CEM) of the Karbi Anglong Autonomous Council since 2013, contested the 2026 Assembly elections on a Bharatiya Janata Party ticket from the reserved Rongkhang constituency and emerged victorious with 83,248 votes, defeating Congress candidate Augustine Enghee by 48,815 votes. His victory marks his formal entry into mainstream State politics after over a decade in autonomous council leadership.

Similarly, Rabha, a three-term CEM of the Rabha Hasong Autonomous Council and a prominent regional leader, won from Dudhnai on a BJP ticket. He secured 1,00,353 votes, defeating Congress candidate Kishore Kumar Brahma by a margin of 47,637 votes.

A Chief Executive Member heads the executive body of an autonomous council — institutions that govern tribal and indigenous regions under special constitutional or statutory arrangements. While the Karbi Anglong Autonomous Council functions under the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution, the Rabha Hasong Autonomous Council operates as one of Assam’s statutory autonomous councils.