Politics, on the eve of an election, often descends into the gutter. With personal attacks, wild allegations, and rhetoric detached from reality, the atmosphere frequently turns toxic just before the democratic process begins.
The 2026 Assam Assembly election has followed this grim script, devolving into an exceptionally high-stakes "no-holds-barred" conflict. The battle has moved beyond policy into the personal lives of the contenders and their families. With polls set for April 9, the final stretch of campaigning is being fuelled by explosive claims of foreign citizenship, hidden global assets, and "cultural betrayal," making this one of the most volatile electoral chapters in the state’s history.
Global assets and triple passport allegation
The most dramatic escalation involves the direct targeting of the Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma’s wife, Riniki Bhuyan Sarma. In a series of high-profile press conferences held between April 5 and April 6, Congress spokesperson Pawan Khera and MP Gaurav Gogoi alleged that she holds passports from three different countries namely the UAE, Antigua and Barbuda, and Egypt.
Riniki Bhuyan Sarma with her husband and Assam Chief Minister Himabnta Biswa Sarma | Facebook account of Riniki Bhuyan Sarma
The opposition has paired these claims with allegations of undisclosed luxury properties in Dubai and a family-linked company based in Wyoming, US—entities they claim were omitted from the chief minister's official election affidavit. They have framed these alleged holdings as a "strategic escape plan" for the family to flee the country should they lose the upcoming mandate.
CM's defence and legal action
Chief Minister Sarma and his wife categorically rejected these claims, dismissing them as "desperate and fabricated digital manipulations." On April 6, the chief minister pointed to significant discrepancies in the documents presented by the Congress, including misspelled surnames (using "Sharma" instead of "Sarma"), invalid QR codes and mismatched nationality data.
He claimed the "passports" were crude AI-generated fakes sourced from a Pakistani social media module designed to interfere in the Indian election. Both the chief minister and his wife confirmed the filing of criminal and civil defamation cases against Khera, with Sarma asserting that such a "campaign of falsehood" will eventually lead to the Congress leader’s imprisonment.
Kunki Chowdhury 'beef controversy'
Parallel to the passport row, the chief minister opened a second personal front against Kunki Chowdhury, the London-educated Assam Jatiya Parishad candidate for Guwahati Central.
Aiming for the Assam Assembly, AJP candidate Kunki Chowdhury |
In public rallies held on April 4, Sarma focussed his attack on Chowdhury’s mother, Sujata Gurung Chowdhury, displaying screenshots of her social media activity. He alleged the family had publicly posted photos of consuming beef—a prohibited act under the Assam Cattle Preservation Act, 2021—and had expressed support for controversial figures like Sharjeel Imam.
Sarma has used this to question the candidate’s "Sanatani" credentials, warning that he will file an FIR against her parents as soon as the election process concludes.
Kunki retaliated by accusing the BJP of using deepfake technology and AI-generated content to malign her family’s reputation out of "political fear." She dismissed the dietary allegations as a distraction from the government's failure to address urban infrastructure issues, such as the recurring artificial flooding in Guwahati.
Chowdhury filed a formal complaint with the Cyber Police on April 5, marking a significant shift where the election is now being fought as much in forensic labs and courtrooms as it is on the streets.
Resurgence of Miya identity war
Underpinning these personal clashes is the chief minister’s consistent focus on the "Miya" community as a "demographic threat" to indigenous Assamese identity. Throughout the campaign, Sarma has framed the 2026 polls as a "civilisational battle," at one point suggesting that over 5 lakh "Miya" votes could be deleted from the electoral rolls to correct demographic imbalances.
He has even linked this to the beef row, claiming he successfully "reformed" the dietary habits of the Miya community and therefore cannot permit a "Hindu" candidate’s family to normalise such practices. The opposition has labelled this rhetoric as "unconstitutional" and "genocidal," while the Election Commission has deployed over 5,000 flying squads to monitor the increasingly inflammatory language being used in the final hours of the campaign.
