Guwahati, Dec 28: Union Shipping Minister Sarbananda Sonowal on December 27 cautioned Bharatiya Janata Party workers in Assam against complacency and internal divisions as the party gears up for the 2026 Assembly elections. Addressing the BJP’s state executive meeting, Sonowal stressed that while the party was well placed electorally, unity and discipline within the organisation would be crucial in the coming years.
He said the BJP was approaching the next election cycle from a position of strength and expressed confidence that the party would secure a third consecutive term in power in Assam. Crediting the performance of the so-called double-engine government over the past decade, Sonowal said public support remained firmly with the BJP, but warned that internal infighting could weaken its prospects if not checked.
The Union minister contrasted the BJP’s tenure with what he described as decades of neglect and instability under previous Congress governments. He said Assam and the wider Northeast had been deprived of peace, development and dignity for nearly 60 years, and asserted that meaningful change began only after Prime Minister Narendra Modi placed the region at the centre of the national development agenda and worked to bridge the emotional distance created by years of misgovernance.
Sonowal maintained that peace and stability returned to Assam after the BJP came to power in 2016, attributing the shift to continuous dialogue, firm administrative measures and the signing of multiple peace accords. He also highlighted the Prime Minister’s frequent visits to the Northeast and the regular presence of Union ministers in the region, saying this marked a departure from what he termed a “Lutyens Delhi-centric” approach to governance and brought decision-making closer to the people.
Reiterating the importance of organisational discipline, Sonowal reminded party workers of the BJP’s core guiding principle, stressing that the nation must always come first, followed by the party, with personal interests placed last.
