Assam Assembly Elections 2026 | Youths wooed with fee waivers, stipends, job assurances in Assam polls

Guwahati: From promising free education to assuring jobs for the youths, political parties are wooing the young voters ahead of the Assam Assembly elections as they form a major chunk of the electorate.

The ongoing schemes providing fee waivers and stipends give the ruling regime an edge when it comes to attracting the young voters, but larger issues of affordable new-age courses, quality of education in the public sector and dignified employment opportunities also remain to be addressed.

Out of total 2.50 crore electorate in the state, there are over 6 lakh new voters in the age bracket of 18-19 years, and another over 66 lakh in the 20-29 years bracket.

"As Assam heads towards the elections, the inclusive policy approach that the current dispensation has taken towards the state's youth can certainly become a definitive factor in its electoral performance," said Karavi Barman, assistant professor at the Post-Graduate Department of Law, Gauhati University.

She maintained that schemes such as 'Nijut Moina', 'Nijut Babu' and SVAYEM have been instrumental to a large extent in providing students and youth with means to pursue their education and build careers by surpassing economic barriers.

Under 'Nijut Moina', a flagship programme of the current government aimed at preventing child marriage and dropout rates, a monthly stipend of up to Rs 2,500 is provided to all girl students from class 11 to post-graduation since 2024.

A similar 'Mukhya Mantrir Nijut Babu Asoni' was launched in January, under which monthly support for first year undergraduate and postgraduate boys will be provided, to help prevent dropouts.

Other schemes of the BJP-led government for students include, 'Jibon Prerena' under which fresh graduates receive total of Rs 25,000 for a year, and 'Jibon Anuprerna', providing one-time stipend for research scholars.

The Chief Minister's Atmanirbhar Asom Abhiyan (CMAAA) and Swami Vivekananda Assam Youth Empowerment (SVAYEM) are among other schemes that help youth launch entrepreneurship ventures.

Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) state secretary Manash Pratim Kalita maintained that these schemes have benefitted the students, especially those belonging to economically-weaker sections.

"The schemes for the students over the last 10 years have been commendable. It has particularly helped students coming from poorer families, as earlier, they could not afford higher education," he said.

"The scholarship or stipend money provided helps pay for the education, buy essential stuff, and even pay for form fill-up without putting additional burden on our families," Mahanta added.

However, Students' Federation of India (SFI) state joint secretary Utpola Das claimed that the schemes are temporary fixes rather than providing long-term solutions.

"On the ground, the existing schemes are failing to keep students in the system. What the education sector truly needs are durable, structural interventions such as merit-based scholarships rather than schemes that merely create passive 'beneficiaries'," she maintained.

Echoing Das, SFI state secretary Rajdeep Mahanta said, "The number of government higher education institutions is not sufficient vis-à-vis our students. Moreover, after the implementation of NEP-2020, we have witnessed an increase in self-financed courses. These are deterrents for students who do not come from affluent families." "The autonomous status being granted to colleges and universities is proving to be another hurdle as it entails the institution to generate its own revenue, and for the purpose, the burden is shifted to students by way of increasing fees," he claimed.

While the BJP has promised to continue these schemes with more entitlements if it retains power, the main opposition Congress has put its focus on job opportunities within the state.

Beyond the electoral assurances, Barman stressed on the need to make the students ready to meet the requirements of the changing job market.

"Not just traditional colleges and universities, we need public institutions which prepare students for future courses and jobs. Like coaching for competitive examinations, a sector which is dominated by the private sector," the assistant professor said.

"And along with educational facilities, employment opportunities are another factor that the government must work on to secure the future of our young generation," she said.

Manash Pratim said the schemes for youths promoting entrepreneurship have helped them to be 'job providers' rather than being mere 'job seekers'.

"Under programmes like CMAAA, youth are getting seed money, and they are aspiring to open their own businesses rather than running after jobs," he said.

SFI secretary Rajdeep, however, maintained that the youths of the state need to be given more opportunities to realise their potential and aim higher.

"Being gig workers cannot be the aspiration of our generation. While there is dignity in every work, we do need meaningful employment that does justice to our education," he said.

Elections for the 126-member Assembly will be held on April 9, and votes counted on May 4.