January 26, 2026
Rudra Narayan Gupta has built his influence in Assam’s Barak Valley through institutions, not noise. A businessman with strong local roots, he runs Green Heals Hospital and Ramanuj Gupta Junior College, addressing long-standing gaps in healthcare and education. His recent foray into media with Bartalipi marks a strategic shift, placing him among the emerging power centres of a region often missing from Assam’s mainstream conversation.
Dimpu Baruah has turned mass appeal into political relevance. As Assam’s most popular YouTuber, he commands attention politicians crave, particularly during elections. His influence is volatile, capable of amplifying triviality or igniting controversy with equal speed.
Rita Choudhury’s authority stems from independence. A prominent voice during the Assam agitation, she later chose literature over politics. Married to power yet beholden to none, she remains influential for her willingness to dissent, even at personal cost.
Pranab Kumar Barman commands mass affection rarely granted to poets. Shifting effortlessly between romance and rebellion, he has made modern Assamese poetry popular again. His influence lies in emotional reach, turning verse into a public event.
As vice-chancellor of Gauhati University, Nani Gopal Mahanta wields influence that extends well beyond academia. His authority rests on proximity to power: close access to Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma and visible alignment with the ideological ecosystem of the RSS, including hosting its chief, Mohan Bhagwat, at his residence. Even amid personal and institutional controversy, his position has remained intact, an illustration of how ideological capital can outweigh turbulence.
The highest-ranking military officer from Assam, Lt Gen Kalita remains influential in civilian discourse. Active in think tanks and policy circles, his strategic experience is sought by those in power. Authority here is derived from expertise and national service.
Lovlina Borgohain’s influence extends far beyond the ring. Emerging from a remote corner of Assam, she overturned geography, gender and expectation to win an Olympic medal. Her bronze at Tokyo did more than add to India’s tally, it altered the imagination of what is possible for women from the margins. In a state long absent from elite sport, she became proof that global success need not originate from privileged centres.
Rima Das redefined how Assam appears in world cinema. Village Rockstars announced her as a global independent voice, earning international acclaim and an Oscar submission. Her influence lies in narrative authenticity, proving regional stories can travel without dilution.
Papon is Assam’s most recognisable cultural export to Bollywood. With a devoted home audience and national visibility, he has carried Assamese musical traditions onto global stages. Influence here is cultural soft power—rooted in popularity, continuity and representation.
Adil Hussain carries Assam onto international screens. With awards across borders and roles spanning art-house to mainstream cinema, he commands cultural influence. Politically aware yet accessible, he remains a thinking actor, respected for substance rather than celebrity.
Dr Dutta’s influence stems from institutional endurance. Through Down Town Hospital and Assam Down Town University, he built a healthcare–education model that survived competition without predatory pricing, his power resting on systems that outlast personalities.
Dr Borah reshaped Assam’s healthcare landscape by building institutions where none existed. Through GNRC and an affordable-care mission, he paired top-end medicine with social commitment, turning healthcare infrastructure into lasting influence.
Atanu Bhuyan’s influence lies in narrative disruption. By challenging journalistic convention, embracing technology and transparency, and openly acknowledging proximity to power, he shapes opinion through storytelling rather than sanctimony—now extending that reach into filmmaking.
A rare blend of literary distinction and newsroom instinct, Manoj Goswami wields influence through words and information. A Sahitya Akademi awardee, he pairs narrative craft with access to power, his social-media clout driven by both credibility and news that matters.
Ranjit Barthakur is Assam’s most trusted bridge between power and capital, often tasked by chief ministers to quietly court investors. Through the Balipara Foundation, he has also shaped environmental discourse in the Eastern Himalayas, with a reach spanning boardrooms, conservation and sport—largely without public display.
For decades, Hiren Gohain has set the terms of Assam’s ideological debates. His positions polarise instantly: loyalty on one side, hostility on the other. Even when contested, his arguments dominate the conversation. It’s not that he is correct, but credible counter-narratives remain scarce. Influence, in his case, rests on agenda-setting rather than consensus.
Samujjal Bhattacharyya’s power flows from social capital rather than position. As mentor to the All Assam Students’ Union, he commands an unmatched grassroots network. More crucially, his civility in public life, rare in polarised times, has earned him deep emotional legitimacy. The public outpouring during his personal bereavement revealed the extent of that quiet authority.
As the owner of the Pratidin Media Network, Jayanta Baruah controls Assam’s most formidable media platform. His outlets have survived governments of every hue while maintaining an anti-establishment edge. Repeated attacks from the incumbent chief minister have only reinforced his relevance. For dissenters and challengers, his media empire remains the preferred megaphone.
Often dismissed as a political footnote, Riniki Bhuyan Sarma has built influence independently through business acumen and quiet authority. From an entrepreneurial lineage, she blends discretion with decisiveness, emerging as a key trouble-shooter in Assam’s most powerful political household—without seeking credit or visibility.
Justice Gogoi’s influence stems less from office than from moral authority. As the first Assamese to head India's judiciary, and the author of landmark verdicts such as the Ram Janmabhoomi–Babri Masjid judgment, he remains a lasting point of reference well beyond retirement.