Of all the Congress leaders co-opted by the BJP over the past decade, the ascent of Himanta Biswa Sarma stands out. Others like Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Pema Khandu and former Manipur CM Biren Singh also belong to the Congress lineage, but none has matched Sarma - now seeking a second term as Assam CM - in achieving the ideological makeover and winning the trust of the party top brass as seamlessly as he has.
Himanta, who started his career with the All Assam Students' Union (AASU), shifted base to the Congress and became a minister in the Tarun Gogoi government. Today, he has emerged as the BJP's Hindutva face, not just in Assam but the entire Northeast. The Assembly elections, if anything, appear to be a referendum on Himanta and his brand of politics.
Himanta's switch
Riding the Narendra Modi wave after the BJP's Lok Sabha poll victory in 2014, the party was eager to form its first government in Assam in 2016, with former AASU and AGP leader Sarbananda Sonowal as its "indigenous" face. The ruling Congress was in disarray, with dissension between CM Tarun Gogoi and his long-time lieutenant and election strategist, Himanta, reaching its peak.
To intensify pressure, the BJP targeted Himanta by releasing a "chargesheet" in New Delhi, accusing the Congress' master strategist of involvement in multi-crore scams, including one linked to the US-based firm Louis Berger. Himanta also drew BJP's ire for branding Modi "anti-Muslim" during the 2014 campaign.
BJP insiders, however, were not entirely confident of defeating the 15-year-old Gogoi government in the 2016 elections. Closed-door meetings and deliberations led to a possible solution: bring Himanta on board as quickly as possible. As the Congress awaited the high command's decision on the next CM, Himanta distanced himself from the government, while Gogoi pushed hard to pass the baton to his son, Gaurav.
BJP in Assam is Congress led by Himanta with saffron label: Gaurav GogoiWith the Congress - particularly Rahul Gandhi - choosing to side with the Gogois, Himanta spotted an opening in the BJP. In August 2015, he, along with several MLAs from the "anti-Gogoi brigade", crossed over and campaigned vigorously, helping the saffron party secure its first government in Assam in 2016. Himanta, however, had to wait another five years to realise his dream of becoming chief minister, a goal fulfilled in 2021 when the BJP replaced Sonowal with him after its second consecutive victory.
A postgraduate in political science and a PhD, Himanta, now 57, made his electoral debut in the Jalukbari constituency of Guwahati in 1996, losing to Bhrigu Kumar Phukan, once his mentor in the AASU. In 2001, he defeated Phukan and has remained unbeaten in Jalukbari ever since.
Since becoming the CM in 2021, Himanta has consistently sought to project himself as the Hindutva leader by targeting Bengali-speaking Muslims, whom the BJP dubs "infiltrators". Drawing on Assam's long history of anti-foreigner sentiment, Himanta initiated measures against the community that included dismantling madrasas, carrying out evictions and advocating "pushbacks" to Bangladesh. He has also tried to reshape Assam's electoral narrative, shifting it from a contest between "indigenous versus foreigners" to one framed as Hindus versus Miyas (Bengali-speaking Muslims).
A third consecutive victory for the BJP would also mark a personal triumph for Himanta over Tarun Gogoi's son, Gaurav, whose entry into the Congress in 2013-14 had dashed Himanta's hopes of becoming CM at the time.