From the 2014 Lok Sabha elections to the political developments of 2026, Assam has witnessed a major shift in power, a controversial citizenship law, changing leadership and events that shaped the state’s political landscape.
Assam’s political landscape has changed significantly over the last 13 years. The period from 2013 to 2026 has seen the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) emerge as a dominant political force in the state, the Congress lose power after 15 years of uninterrupted rule, and Himanta Biswa Sarma rise from a Congress leader to the Chief Minister of Assam.
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The period has also been marked by the anti-Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) protests, changes in electoral constituencies and successive BJP-led governments. These developments have shaped the state's politics and influenced the way political parties approach elections in Assam.
The Political Shift Begins
In 2013, Assam was under the Congress government led by Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi, who had been in power since 2001. However, the years that followed brought significant changes to the state's political landscape.
The 2014 Lok Sabha elections marked an important turning point. Out of Assam's 14 parliamentary seats, the BJP won seven, while the Congress and the All India United Democratic Front (AIUDF) won three seats each. One seat went to an independent candidate.
The results came as Narendra Modi led the BJP to power at the Centre for the first time, with the party securing a majority in the Lok Sabha. Assam's results reflected the BJP's growing electoral presence in the Northeast.
Another major development came in August 2015, when Himanta Biswa Sarma left the Congress and joined the BJP. Sarma had been a prominent Congress leader and minister under Tarun Gogoi, but differences with the party leadership led to his departure.
His entry into the BJP ahead of the 2016 Assembly elections became an important development in Assam politics. Sarma would go on to become one of the most influential political figures in the state.
BJP Forms Its First Government In Assam
The 2016 Assam Assembly elections marked a historic change in the state's politics. The BJP, in alliance with the Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) and the Bodoland People's Front (BPF), defeated the Congress government, ending its 15-year rule.
The BJP won 60 of the 126 Assembly seats, while the Congress secured 26. The BJP-led alliance crossed the majority mark, paving the way for the formation of the first BJP government in Assam.
Sarbananda Sonowal became the state's 14th Chief Minister and the first BJP leader to hold the post.
The victory marked a significant shift in Assam's political landscape. The Congress, which had governed the state for three consecutive terms under Tarun Gogoi, moved into the opposition, while the BJP established itself as a major force in state politics.
However, the citizenship issue continued to create political tensions. The proposed Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, 2016, faced strong opposition in Assam, with protesters arguing that granting citizenship to migrants on religious grounds could affect the state's linguistic and cultural identity.
The bill was not passed in that parliamentary session, but the issue remained politically significant in the years that followed.
Assam Erupts Over The Citizenship Amendment Act
The anti-CAA protests became one of the defining political events of this period.
In December 2019, Parliament passed the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, which created a pathway to Indian citizenship for eligible Hindu, Sikh, Buddhist, Jain, Parsi and Christian migrants from Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Pakistan who entered India on or before December 31, 2014, subject to the law's conditions.
The legislation triggered widespread protests in Assam. Demonstrators argued that the Act went against the spirit of the Assam Accord of 1985, which established March 24, 1971, as the cut-off date for identifying foreigners in the state.
The protests spread across Assam, with students, civil society organisations and other groups taking part. The agitation also turned violent in some places, and five protesters died in police firing during the unrest.
The protests presented a political challenge for the BJP-led government under Sonowal, which had come to power in 2016 amid promises of protecting indigenous Assamese identity.
The CAA continued to be a major political issue in Assam in the years that followed. It also featured prominently in the debate surrounding the 2021 Assembly elections, alongside issues such as governance, welfare schemes and regional identity.
Himanta Biswa Sarma Becomes Chief Minister
The 2021 Assam Assembly elections brought the BJP-led alliance back to power for a second consecutive term.
The BJP won 60 seats, while the Congress secured 29. The BJP's allies, including the AGP and the United People's Party Liberal (UPPL), helped the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) retain power.
However, one of the biggest developments came after the results. Sarbananda Sonowal stepped aside, and Himanta Biswa Sarma took over as Chief Minister on May 10, 2021. Sonowal subsequently became a Union minister.
Sarma's elevation marked a significant moment in Assam politics. Six years after leaving the Congress, he had risen to lead the state government under the BJP.
His political journey reflected the changing balance of power in Assam. Once a prominent minister in the Congress government, Sarma had joined the BJP in 2015 and played an important role in the party's political rise in the state.
The change in leadership did not mean a change in the ruling party. Instead, the BJP-led alliance continued in office under a new Chief Minister, with Sarma becoming the central figure in the state's political landscape.
Delimitation And A New Electoral Map
Another major development came in 2023, when the Election Commission of India completed the delimitation of Assam's Assembly and parliamentary constituencies.
Delimitation involves redrawing constituency boundaries to adjust electoral representation. In Assam, the exercise used the 2001 Census figures, and the final order was published on August 11, 2023.
The total number of Assembly seats remained at 126, while the number of Lok Sabha seats remained at 14. However, the boundaries and names of several constituencies changed, along with the reservation of certain seats for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes.
The 2024 Lok Sabha election was the first general election in Assam to be held under the revised constituency boundaries.
The BJP won nine of the state's 14 parliamentary seats. The Congress won three, while the AGP and UPPL won one each. Together, the BJP-led NDA secured 11 seats.
The result showed that the BJP and its allies continued to hold a strong electoral position in Assam. It also gave the ruling alliance a significant presence among the state's parliamentary representatives.
The delimitation exercise remained an important part of the political debate because changes to constituency boundaries can influence electoral representation and the political calculations of parties.
Zubeen Garg's Death Brings Assam Together In Mourning
September 2025 brought a moment of grief that extended far beyond party politics.
Zubeen Garg, one of Assam's most celebrated singers and cultural figures, died in Singapore on September 19, 2025, after losing consciousness during a swimming outing.
His death led to widespread mourning across Assam. People from different communities and backgrounds came together to pay tribute to the singer, whose music and cultural contributions had made him a household name across the state.
The Assam government declared three days of state mourning from September 20 to 22. His death also led to demands for a thorough investigation into the circumstances surrounding the incident.
The Assam Police's Criminal Investigation Department subsequently investigated the case. The circumstances of his death and the demand for accountability remained matters of public attention.
Garg's death was not an electoral event, but it became one of the most significant moments in Assam's public life during the period. The response demonstrated the place he occupied in Assamese cultural identity and how his influence extended beyond music and entertainment.
BJP Returns To Power In 2026
In 2026, Assam returned to the Assembly polls, with the BJP seeking another term under Sarma's leadership.
The results announced in May gave the BJP 82 seats in the 126-member Assembly. The Congress won 19, while the AGP secured 10 and the Bodoland People's Front won 10. The BJP's alliance partners helped the NDA secure a majority.
The result returned the BJP to power for a third consecutive Assembly term, following its victories in 2016 and 2021.
For Sarma, the victory marked the beginning of a second consecutive term as Chief Minister, extending his leadership beyond the first five-year term that began in 2021.
The outcome also continued the political shift that began with the BJP's growing presence in Assam during the 2014 Lok Sabha elections and culminated in its first government in the state in 2016.
From the Congress government's final years to the BJP's continued hold on power, Assam's politics has undergone a significant transformation.
The period has been shaped by elections, leadership changes, debates over citizenship and identity, delimitation and events that reached far beyond the political arena.
The next chapter of Assam politics will depend on how political parties respond to public expectations, regional concerns and the challenges facing the state.
