Assam Assembly Elections 2026 | BJP under criticism after Oppn leader's house raided, aides detained

Guwahati: The BJP-led government in Assam on Friday came under sharp criticism from the Opposition after police raided the house of Lurinjyoti Gogoi, President of Assam Jatiya Parishad (AJP), a partner in the Congress-led Opposition alliance, detained publicity team members of another candidate and office of an Assamese daily was stonned hours after the polling ended.

AJP leader Chittaranjan Basumatary said a police team raided Gogoi's house in Dibrugarh in Upper Assam without citing any reason or following legal procedures.

"One of our party workers was attacked yesterday during the polling by BJP workers. Instead of taking action against the attackers, police raided our President's house. This is being done under the instruction of Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma to threaten the Opposition," he said.

Lurinjyoti is a candidate in Khowang Assembly constituency in Dibrugarh district.

Kunki Choudhury, another AJP candidate in Central Guwahati Assembly constituency, said that three members of her social media team was summoned to Panbazar police station on Thursday night and were detained on charges of violation of Model Code of Conduct.

Kunki, the first time candidate, earlier became a target of CM Sarma with the latter alleging that her mother ate beef, which goes against Sanatani culture. The 27-year-old Kunki emerged as a contender for BJP candidate and veteran leader Vijay Kumar Gupta, who was referred to by AJP workers as "outsider."

In North Assam's Lakhimpur district, office of Asomiya Pratidin, a highly circulated Assamese daily, was allegedly stonned by unidentified miscreants. The incident took place hours after Chief Minister Sarma issued warning to the owner of the daily and two other satellite news channels on Thursday evening.

Sarma issued the warning soon after the polling for the 126 member Assembly concluded. Sarma alleged that the three groups were blackmailing people and were involved in illegal activities including land grab. He also questioned why the daily published a photograph of singer Zubeen Garg on the day of the polling.

Reacting to the post-poll incidents, Gaurav Gogoi, who heads the state Congress and the Opposition alliance, told reporters in Guwahati that Sarma's warnings and behaviour "exposed his frustration as he realised that people voted against his government on Thursday".

"But Sarma can never silence the Opposition and the media. We have got a very good response from the people and we are confident that the Opposition will form the government."

Record mandate

Dilip Saikia, president of BJP's Assam unit, who held a press conference on Friday morning said the record turnout (85.91 per cent) suggested that people came out to endorse the party's politics for securing the indigenous people against the threat of the infiltrators and the development works.

"The NDA will get historic mandate with more seats than 2021," Saikia said. "The results on May 4 will be against the fake narrative created by Congress and the urban naxals against the BJP," he said.