“BJP Using ‘Rented Voters’ for 2026 Win in Assam: Debabrata Saikia

Assam Legislative Assembly Opposition Leader Debabrata Saikia on Sunday launched a sharp attack on the BJP, alleging that the ruling party is pushing an “imperialist agenda” in Assamthrough Hindutva politics and aggressive influence from the Hindi heartland.

Addressing reporters, Saikia claimed that the Congress has been consistently protesting against what it sees as systematic attempts to alter Assam’s political and demographic landscape. He said former Congress president Rahul Gandhi had earlier placed facts and evidence before the public on these concerns.

Saikia alleged that efforts are underway to push 10,000 to 15,000 “outsider” votes into every Assembly constituency in Assam. According to him, the BJP is attempting to sail through the 2026 Assembly elections by engineering results through “rented voters”.

“We will build a strong and united protest against this conspiracy,” Saikia said, warning that such practices pose a serious threat to Assam’s democratic structure.

The Opposition Leader also rejected the findings of the ‘People’s Pulse’ survey, calling it unscientific and politically motivated. He questioned how a state with over 2.5 crore voters could be assessed through a sample of just around 5,000 people.

“In many constituencies, barely 40 people were surveyed. At least one to two per cent of voters per constituency should be consulted. I do not accept this survey,” he said, alleging that such polls are designed to help the BJP and demoralise opposition workers.

Saikia added that the Congress is not affected by such surveys and will not give them any importance.

Responding to allegations of money collection for Congress tickets, Saikia firmly denied any wrongdoing. He said a nominal application fee of Rs 50,000 exists within party rules, adding that without such a system, crores of people would have applied for tickets.

He also clarified that former MP Ripun Bora never said that the Orunodoi scheme should be scrapped. “When Congress comes to power, welfare schemes will be made stronger and more effective,” he asserted.

Saikia further dismissed speculation about sidelining Raijor Dal leader Akhil Gogoi from any opposition alliance, stating that there is no such plan. He urged all opposition parties to expedite seat-sharing talks to ensure unity ahead of the elections.

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