Assam: After the assembly elections in Bihar last year, attention is now focused on the elections to be held this year. Among the states going to the polls in 2026 are West Bengal and Assam. Elections are scheduled in these states in March-April, and political activity has intensified there as well. In Assam, the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is working on a strategy similar to the one used in Bihar to retain power.
The BJP has been in power in Assam for 10 years and aims for a hat-trick victory this time. Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma is constantly introducing new initiatives to woo voters, through statements and announcements. About three months before the elections, the Assam government announced a new beneficiary scheme on the first day of the new year, aimed at benefiting undergraduate and postgraduate male students. He also gave a ‘Bihu gift’ of ₹8,000 to 37 lakh women beneficiaries of his flagship Orunodoi Scheme.
CM Sarma also focuses on male students
Earlier, in 2024, as part of its efforts to eradicate child marriage, the state launched the Nijut Moina Scheme to provide monthly financial assistance to female students from higher secondary to postgraduate levels.
Later, citing the demand for a similar scheme for male students, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma announced the launch of a new ‘Babu Asomi (Scheme)’ from February 1st, under which the government will provide monthly financial assistance of ₹2,000 to eligible postgraduate students and ₹1,000 to eligible undergraduate students. Sarma clarified that the annual household income limit for this scheme would be ₹4 lakh.
Increased financial assistance for women
CM Sarma is busy making a flurry of announcements before the elections. He has also modified the Orunodoi scheme. Orunodoi is a state government financial assistance scheme in which money is sent directly to female beneficiaries every month through DBT (Direct Benefit Transfer). The scheme, launched in 2020, currently has approximately 3.7 million beneficiaries who receive ₹1,250 every month.
Regarding the changes to the Orunodoi scheme, CM Sarma said, “We will not be distributing the Orunodoi amount during the election year, which started in January. Instead, next month, on February 20th, each beneficiary will receive a lump sum of ₹8,000 as an advance Bohag Bihu gift. This will allow them to celebrate Bihu properly.”
A great scheme also created for families
Keeping families in mind, CM Sarma announced that from this month, every ration card holder in the state will be able to buy one kilogram each of lentils, sugar, and salt for ₹100. Last November, the government launched subsidized rations of these three items for beneficiaries at a combined price of ₹117. The Assam government has previously announced several financial assistance schemes and is providing aid to the people.
Chief Minister Sarma is announcing these schemes very strategically. The BJP is trying to woo Assamese voters in the name of ‘Bihu gifts’. He made a big announcement for Bihu on New Year’s Day. Magh Bihu is celebrated in mid-January and is one of the biggest festivals in Assam. This will be followed by Bohag Bihu in April, which is celebrated in mid-April and marks the Assamese New Year. This will be the period when the election process in the state will be at its peak. It is likely that the election dates in Assam will fall during this time.
Is Assam following in Bihar’s footsteps?
Before Assam, a similar tactic was used in Bihar, and Chief Minister Nitish Kumar benefited from it in the elections. Just before the announcement of election dates, on September 26th, PM Narendra Modi announced the Chief Minister Women’s Employment Scheme in Bihar to promote women’s employment. Under this scheme, one woman from each family was to be given installments of ₹10,000 each. Then, in the first week of October, Nitish Kumar transferred ₹10,000 directly into the bank accounts of 2.1 million eligible women in the state.
This ₹10,000 scheme significantly influenced female voters in the Bihar elections, resulting in a historic victory for the NDA under Nitish Kumar’s leadership. Nitish Kumar successfully maintained his hold on power for over two decades, while the opposition party, Lalu Prasad Yadav’s Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), was reduced to just 25 seats.
Now, in Assam, Himanta Biswa Sarma hopes that a similar scheme of transferring cash to women’s accounts will prove effective. Therefore, along with several other populist promises, he is promising to send ₹8,000 to women on the occasion of Bihu. He is also focusing on young voters. It remains to be seen how successful the Bihar formula will be in Assam.
