Himanta’s ‘Miya’ label stuck on Cong, weaned away voters | India News
Guwahati: Twin hits at the top. Defeated by Gaurav Gogoi and Devabrata Saikia. A campaign – sharp attack – including the Chief Minister’s family – and a pitch for justice for Zubin Garg. Little to show for the ballot. Congress is left with a narrow, largely Muslim-majority base and a narrow reach in Assam.The party won 19 seats – all Muslim-majority constituencies. Its footprint has tightened in pockets while sharing with the AIUDF, which has now faded away, giving the Congress a cohesive but limited vote bank.CM Himanta Biswa SharmaIts sustained messaging seems to have been cut. He cast the Congress as a ‘Miya’ party – a term for Bengali-speaking Muslims in Bangladesh. The label stuck, undermining the Congress’s ability to expand among tribal and Hindu voters.The limitation in 2023 further complicates the issue. The Muslim-majority seats fell from 35 to 22, narrowing the party’s electoral runway. Muslims make up about 30% of the electorate in Assam – about 75 lakh voters – and remain dominant in this constituency, but the concentration has isolated the Congress politically.A six-party coalition of late has failed to change momentum. Underline the damage slide in upper and northern Assam. Assam Congress chief Gogoi and Leader of Opposition Saikia – sons of former chief minister Tarun Gogoi and Hiteshwar Saikia, respectively – both fell in their family strongholds.For Congress, the verdict is stark. The return road runs through constituencies which it no longer designates.Discomfort has arisen within the Congress. Gogoi did not comment. The team’s Ripun Bora promised a review. “EVM manipulation is possible – delayed justice for Zubin or anger over price hike will not match the result,” he said, adding that many would question the result as the chief minister had predicted a tally of around 100 seats for the NDA, a projection echoed by exit polls.
