Why BJP Won’t Touch Himanta: The Man Assam Can’t Swap Out
Guwahati, Nov 1, 2025 – The rumor mill in Dispur never sleeps. Every tea stall from Fancy Bazar to Ganeshguri buzzes with the same question these days: Can the BJP drop Himanta Biswa Sarma before 2026? The short answer, whispered by party workers, bureaucrats, and even a few Congress old-timers nursing their filter coffee: Not a chance.
Himanta isn’t just the Chief Minister. He’s the engine, the fuel, and the spare tyre all rolled into one. And right now, with six communities burning effigies over ST status and the opposition sharpening knives, the saffron high command in Delhi knows one truth: Mess with Himanta, and Assam unravels.
The Only Man Who Gets Things Done
Ask any BJP MLA in private—off the record, of course—and they’ll tell you: “There’s him… and then there’s everyone else.”
On July 5, 2024, when Majuli was drowning in the worst floods in years, he landed by helicopter at dawn, toured the breached embankment in Kamalabari, and met with stranded families to assure relief—photos splashed across social media the next morning.
Back in April 2021, as Guwahati’s hospitals ran out of oxygen, he drove himself from Dispur to Palasbari, inspected the Sun Pharma Remdesivir plant, then rushed to GMCH to push for ramped-up production—sleeves rolled, mask on, no entourage.
No one else in the Assam BJP has that fire. Not the soft-spoken one now in Delhi. Not the loyal but low-key minister. Not even the ambitious party president.
“Who will replace him?” one senior leader laughed, shaking his head. “Tell me one name. Just one.” Silence.
Money Talks—And Himanta Controls the Purse
Assam was broke at a time. Salaries came late. Contractors waited months for payments. The state was borrowing just to breathe.
Four years later? Assam pays its bills on the 1st. No more begging Delhi for salary funds. Revenue is up. Investments are pouring in—Rs 1.78 lakh crore promised at Advantage Assam 2.0, with projects rolling out by December. Women’s self-help groups got Rs 21,000 crore in loans, with 99% repayment on time.
“If he goes, the money stops,” says a finance department insider. “Simple as that.”
Himanta knows every contractor, every investor, every bank manager by name. He calls them at 7 a.m. if a file is stuck. No successor has that network. And without it? Back to the old days—delayed salaries, stalled projects, angry contractors.
The MLAs? They Owe Him Their Seats
Walk into any BJP MLA’s office in Dibrugarh, Silchar, or Kokrajhar. You’ll see the same photo: Himanta campaigning, sweat-soaked, microphone in hand, crowd roaring.
He handpicked most of them. Campaigned door-to-door. Fixed their tickets when Delhi hesitated.
“We won because of him,” admits a first-time MLA from Upper Assam, staring at his tea. “If he goes, half of us lose in 2026. Who will save us then?”
Even the grumblers—the old RSS types who miss the old days—keep quiet. Why? Because Himanta delivers. Roads. Schools. Jobs. And yes, the occasional “favour” that keeps the machine humming.
Roads, Bridges, Hospitals—All Mid-Flight
Assam is in the middle of its biggest infrastructure boom in decades.
- 24 medical colleges by 2029
- Electric buses rolling out in Guwahati, aiming for 100% green public transport by end of 2025
- New railway lines piercing remote hills to Diphu, Haflong, and Dima Hasao
- Dibrugarh as “second capital” with a full assembly complex by 2027
- Medanta hospital coming up in Sarusajai, part of an Rs 800 crore healthcare-hospitality push
Stop Himanta now, and who finishes it?
“Everything will stall,” says a PWD engineer who’s worked under three CMs. “Files will pile up. Contractors will vanish. Voters will remember who started it—and who killed it.”
The ST Protests? Leaders Are on His Payroll
Six communities—Ahom, Moran, Matak, Chutia, Koch-Rajbongshi, Tea tribes—are on the streets. Torch marches. Sit-ins. Effigies burning in Tinsukia. The GoM report is due November 25, but existing ST groups fear quota dilution.
But here’s the twist: the big leaders are silent.
Why? Because they’re beneficiaries.
- Ahom, Chutia, Gorkha, Moran, and Matak bodies received Rs 125 crore each for their development councils since 2021, totaling Rs 625 crore in grants for cultural preservation, language centers, and socioeconomic programs.
“They shout before elections,” smirks a BJP district president. “After polling? Radio silence.”
The protests? Real. Angry. Genuine. But not led by the big names. Just students, youth, common people. No funding. No stage. No mic.
Himanta knows this. That’s why he’s calm. He’s even told party workers: “If you want ST status, join the protest. I won’t stop you.” Smart. Very smart.
The Final Word
Delhi can dream. The RSS can sulk. Congress can scream.
But on the ground, in Assam, one truth stands:
Himanta Biswa Sarma is not replaceable. Not now. Not before 2026. Maybe not ever.
Because if he falls, the BJP doesn’t just lose a CM. It loses Assam.