Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma has raised serious concerns over alleged foreign interference in the state's political landscape ahead of the 2026 Assembly elections. Sarma claimed that over 5,000 social media accounts — primarily operated from Islamic countries — have recently become active in support of the Assam Congress.
According to Sarma, these accounts originate from 47 countries, with the largest volume traced to Bangladesh and Pakistan. The accounts have been consistently amplifying content related to a specific Assam Congress leader and the party’s state unit, while notably avoiding engagement with national Congress figures like Rahul Gandhi or the official Indian National Congress page, he said.
“We have detected an attempted foreign interference to influence Assam’s elections through social media,” Sarma said, adding, “It is surprising that these accounts show no interest in central Congress leaders but focus solely on one individual and the Assam Congress unit. I believe more facts will come to light soon.”
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Sarma further alleged that many of these accounts, in addition to political content, also promote Islamic fundamentalist narratives. “These profiles are posting content supportive of Palestine, Iran and Bangladesh’s Chief Advisor Muhammad Yunus,” the Chief Minister added.
Sarma expressed alarm at what he described as an unprecedented level of foreign digital activity targeting Assam's electoral process. “This is the first time we are seeing such large-scale foreign involvement in Assam’s political affairs ahead of the elections,” he said.
Calling the development a “matter of national security,” Sarma confirmed that the central government has been briefed on the situation and that steps are being taken to investigate the scale and intent behind the foreign digital operations.
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With the 2026 elections drawing closer, the Assam government is expected to intensify surveillance and collaboration with central cyber intelligence agencies to curb external influence and ensure electoral integrity.
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