150 days of Himanta govt: People's favourite but nature built a fury

Five months into his second term as Assam Chief Minister, Himanta Biswa Sarma remains the BJP's biggest political asset in the northeast. The mandate he secured in the 2026 Assembly election was not merely a victory for the BJP but a reaffirmation of Himanta's personal appeal, with the party winning 82 and the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) taking its tally to 102 in Assam's 126-member House.Though Himanta's mass appeal remains largely intact, the first 150 days of the new government paint a complicated picture.Himanta's government has pushed infrastructure, welfare and investment while his political persona has become increasingly personalised. Yet, for a government that has made development a central political pitch, nature's fury — particularly the devastating floods — created the biggest challenge.Beyond floods, unemployment, price rise, indigenous rights and environmental concerns are emerging as pressure points. A fragmented opposition, meanwhile, has so far struggled to turn this discontent into a credible political challenge. Therefore, for Himanta, the second term has begun with both an advantage and a warning. The people still see him as their "Mama" (maternal uncle), but expectations of the man who has been running a one-man show in Assam's politics for more than a decade are now considerably higher."The BJP in Assam has been struggling to meet people's expectations and is facing a big challenge to prevent growing discontent among the people over inflation, unemployment and poor disaster management," Guwahati-based senior journalist Sushanta Talukdar told India Today Digital. Himanta Biswa Sarma is leading the third successive BJP government in Assam. The BJP first came to power in Assam in 2016 and the government was led by Sarbananda Sonowal. Himanta took over as the CM after the 2021 election and Sonowal was made a Union minister. CM HIMANTA'S MAMA POLITICS IN ASSAM SHINES BRIGHTHimanta Biswa Sarma's popularity is seen in his ability to turn the formal image of a chief minister into something more intimate.The "Mama" tag began as a way children and people of Assam address him and has become a wider political identity. During the 2026 Assembly election campaign, the image was amplified through social media, beneficiary interactions and rallies. Himanta's dance to the BJP campaign song — Aaru ebar Modi Sarkar (Modi government one more time) — at rallies, an unusual sight for a chief minister but one that fitted the increasingly informal political persona he had cultivated in Assam.The dance videos mattered because they reinforced the idea of a leader who was not distant from his audience. At one rally, supporters joined Sarma in dancing, with voters describing the atmosphere as one of "phurti" (merriment), and saying he felt like a member of their family.The electoral result showed how effectively that image has travelled beyond the BJP's traditional support base. The party increased its tally from 60 seats in 2021 to 82 in 2026, while the NDA secured 102 seats.But popularity also creates a higher level of accountability."The expectations from the Himanta government remain very high and issues such as employment, price rise and implementation on the ground continue to influence the public perception," Preety Priyadarshinee, an independent journalist who has been covering Assam for nearly 10 years, told India Today Digital."The issues of inflation and unemployment are frustrating the people of Assam," she added. CM Himanta Biswa Sarma's dance remained one of the most memorable moments of the election campaign. (Image: PTI) ASSAM FLOODS: THE BIGGEST TEST OF GOVERNANCE FOR HIMANTA ADMINISTRATIONIf development and personal brand are Sarma's political strength, disaster management has emerged as one of his biggest challenges. During his first 150 days of the second term, the Assam CM's one-man show had only one opponent, and that was not from any politician but a natural disaster.The 2026 floods, one of the worst in recent decades, hit Upper Assam particularly hard. By August 17, the official death toll from the floods reached 105, with Sivasagar recording the highest number of fatalities. Nearly 32,000 people were still affected across four districts at that point, while embankments, roads, bridges and agricultural land had also suffered damage, according to ANI.The government mounted relief operations and announced assistance for affected families. Orunodoi beneficiaries in the four worst-affected districts were also given an additional Rs 2,500 as relief.But the political criticism has been sharper than the relief measures."The biggest challenge it faced [was] in rescue, relief and rehabilitation work during catastrophic floods," Talukdar told India Today Digital, arguing that the crisis exposed weaknesses in the government's claims of administrative efficiency.Priyadarshinee was more critical about the impact on affected communities, describing the floods as a disaster that pushed badly hit areas backwards and alleging that promised compensation had not reached many victims.For CM Sarma, this is a particularly difficult problem because floods are not an occasional political issue in Assam. They are a recurring governance test. A government that wants to project Assam as an investment and infrastructure destination must also demonstrate that development can coexist with resilience against floods and erosion. Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma visited a flood-affected area in August. (Image PTI) DEVELOPMENT HAS BECOME HIMANTA'S BIGGEST STRENGTHThe BJP government has used its first 150 days to establish continuity with Sarma's first term. Roads, bridges, welfare delivery, healthcare and investment remain central to its political pitch.The 2026-27 Budget, presented in July, laid out an ambitious development programme, including a target of creating two lakh jobs over five years, large road and connectivity projects and a renewed investment push. In the previous term, he had promised a lakh jobs, and overshot his promise by giving employment to 1.6 lakh people.Orunodoi remains one of the government's most visible welfare instruments. Under Orunodoi 3.0, more than 37 lakh women are receiving Rs 1,250 a month through direct benefit transfer (DBT).The Tata Group's Outsourced Semiconductor Assembly and Test (OSAT) facility, which is the flagship semiconductor investment associated with CM Himanta, has begun its pilot production operations, but is not fully operational. The CM on October 3 announced that the first clean room of the project was ready to produce chips. A second clean room is under construction and will be inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in December 2026 or January 2027.Priyadarshinee told India Today Digital that the government had made progress on infrastructure, welfare and administrative initiatives. She pointed to the expansion of connectivity, bridges such as Dhola-Sadiya and Bogibeel, and infrastructure projects in Guwahati."There were a lot of job opportunities that opened up," she said, while also noting the wider development push and peace accords with insurgent groups."The BJP government's major commitments — including two lakh jobs, higher welfare assistance and stronger flood control — would require more time to assess actual outcomes," said Purna Bikash Bora, India Today Group's Assam Correspondent.That distinction is important. Because this is Himanta's second term as the chief minister of Assam. At this stage, Assam has seen a strong pipeline of promises and projects, but the real test is whether these produce jobs, higher incomes and better public services. PM Narendra Modi with Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma's rally waves to the gathering during Traditional Bodo Cultural Programme in Guwahati. (Image Prime Minister's Office) LACK OF JOBS AND PRICE RISE: THE EXPECTATION GAP IN ASSAMThe employment question is also important in that state because the government's own numbers show the scale of the challenge.As of June 30, more than 15.43 lakh active jobseekers were registered with Assam's Directorate of Skill, Employment and Entrepreneurship, including more than 3.55 lakh fresh registrations in the first half of 2026.That makes the Budget's promise of two lakh jobs over five years politically significant, but it also means the government will increasingly be judged by actual employment outcomes rather than announcements."The voters expected that prices of essential commodities would be reduced, and there would be more jobs. Discontent against the BJP-led government is brewing because of its failure to curb the price hike and create employment," senior journalist Talukdar told India Today Digital.One has to understand that inflation isn't a state-specific issue. The conflict in the Middle East has disrupted energy supply routes and led to a price rise in commodities.Political Analyst Abhinav Borbora points to the disquiet among the middle class and the youth."I see some kind of disquiet amongst a section of the middle class and the youth. It might be because of the way the government is responding, say, to a lot of criticism and the way it is responding, which is probably often not in a very tasteful way. It might also be because of allegations of corruption," Borbora told India Today Digital.The Himanta-led BJP government has won a massive mandate, and these points are more of an early warning than an immediate electoral threat. Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma during a cheque distribution ceremony under the 'Mukhyamantri Mahila Udyamita Abhiyan' in Tezpur. (Image PTI) RIGHTS, EVICTIONS AND THE QUESTION OF POWER IN ASSAMThe Himanta government's aggressive administrative style has also generated questions about civil liberties and the treatment of protesters among a section of the population, the journalists said.Eviction drives have been a flashpoint, with the government maintaining that it is clearing encroachments from public land, while opponents have alleged that the drives disproportionately affect Muslims.The Mumtaz Begum case added a sharper legal dimension. Begum, declared a foreigner by a Foreigners' Tribunal, was pushed into Bangladesh in June. The Gauhati High Court later criticised the manner in which the process was handled and ordered the Assam government to pay Rs 2 lakh interim compensation to her husband while asking the Ministry of External Affairs to help trace and facilitate her return.The case has become a reminder that Assam's citizenship and migration politics remain deeply sensitive, and that administrative efficiency cannot come at the expense of due process, said Priyadarshinee.Cockroach Janta Party co-convenor Ashutosh Ranka's visit to the state and his brief detention drew criticism from the outfit, which alleged that the action was an attempt to intimidate voices of dissent. CM Himanta Biswa Sarma reviewing the Passing Out Parade of 32 Deputy Superintendents of Police (Probationers) and 371 Constables of the Communication Branch. (Image X@CMOfficeAssam) AN OPPOSITION THAT HAS NOT FOUND ITS MOMENT UNDER HIMANTA'S DOMINANCEOne of the biggest advantages for Sarma is the weakness of the opposition. The Congress, the principal opposition party in recent years, managed to win just 19 seats in the 126-member Assembly.Priyadarshinee said the opposition has a presence but remains fragmented."The main opposition now doesn't feel like the Congress because, in the recent elections that happened, the Vidhan Sabha elections, the Congress only won the minority seats in the state, which was a narrative already made by BJP," she said. "A lot of senior leaders of the Congress like Bhupen Borah and Pradyut Bordoloi joined the BJP at the last moment, indicating the infighting within the party," she said, arguing that a meaningful challenge would require the Congress, Akhil Gogoi's Raijor Dal and the Lurinjyoti Gogoi-led Assam Jatiya Parishad to build a common narrative.That weakness has given Sarma considerable political room in the state. Even outside the Assembly, the trend has continued. In the October 3 Silchar Municipal Corporation election, the BJP-led NDA won 34 of 42 seats, with the BJP taking 32. Under the leadership of Himanta Biswa Sarma, BJP emerged as the single biggest party in the 2026 Assembly election. (Image PTI) SO, WHAT'S THE 150-DAY VERDICT FOR THE HIMANTA GOVERNMENT?Is Himanta Biswa Sarma's second-term government succeeding? The answer, at 150 days, moves closer to a yes but isn't overwhelmingly affirmative.There is visible momentum in infrastructure, welfare, investment and administrative delivery. There is also little doubt that Sarma has built a personal political brand that goes beyond the BJP organisation. His persona, his campaign theatrics and his ability to connect with beneficiaries have helped turn him into Assam's defining political figure.But the same personalisation raises the stakes.As political analyst Borbora put it, with Sarma's government now entering another term, "there are signs of high-handedness" among sections of the political establishment. He warned that the government risks alienating people if it does not address that tendency.The floods have exposed the limits of infrastructure-led governance. Job numbers show the scale of the unemployment challenge. Price concerns remain. Kaziranga has brought development into conflict with conservation. Tribal and indigenous questions remain unresolved. Citizenship cases continue to test due process. And sections of civil society remain uneasy about the use of state power.The opposition has so far been too divided to capitalise on these grievances.For now, therefore, Himanta remains Assam's "Mama" who is popular, powerful and politically dominant. But the next phase of his second term will be about proving that the development model that made him popular can withstand Assam's most difficult realities.- Ends