GUWAHATI - The Congress party won a majority of Muslim-dominated seats in Assam's 2026 Assembly elections, while the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led alliance swept constituencies with consolidated Hindu votes, including tribal and tea-garden communities, according to official results. The shift marks a departure from historical voting patterns, where these groups previously backed the Congress.

Political analysts attribute the change to the collapse of the All-India United Democratic Front (AIUDF), which once represented Bengali-speaking Muslims, or 'Miyas,' who constitute 35% of Assam's population. The AIUDF's declining organizational strength and perceived alignment with the BJP in past Rajya Sabha votes led many minority voters to shift support to the Congress.

The election saw strategic voting among Muslim communities, with many voters rallying behind Congress candidates even in seats where the party lacked strong local presence. Meanwhile, the BJP, under Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, framed the election as an ideological contest, consolidating Hindu votes across caste and regional lines. Eviction drives in districts like Darrang and Nagaon further polarized voter sentiment, with Muslim communities viewing them as discriminatory and majority voters perceiving them as necessary administrative measures.

The 2023 delimitation exercise redrew constituency boundaries, reducing mixed-population swing seats and creating more demographically polarized constituencies. This reduced Muslim influence in key seats, limiting Congress's competitiveness to 22 Muslim-dominated constituencies, down from 35. The BJP established dominance in majority-centric regions.

Political observers say the results reflect a broader transformation in Assam's politics, with coalition-based campaigns giving way to sharper community-based electoral strategies. The Congress and BJP are expected to reassess their outreach programs ahead of future polls, while AIUDF may face pressure to rebuild its base or risk further marginalization.