With Himanta Biswa Sarma at its helm, the BJP has surged to its strongest position in Assam yet. On the back of a highly polarised campaign, the BJP government has already begun to use its record-breaking mandate to implement policy decisions. On May 13, the new Assam Cabinet in its first meeting announced a proposed Uniform Civil Code (UCC) draft Bill and recruitment for 2 lakh government jobs , both promise from the BJP’s election manifesto that had also proposed laws against “land jihad” and “love jihad”, more evictions and more “pushbacks” of declared foreigners.

Having broken the Congress’s hold on Assam in 2016, the BJP has now notched its third consecutive Assembly poll victory in the state. Over the past three elections, the BJP has consistently increased its vote share, and its seat tally of 82 this year is the highest for a single party since 1985.

In 2016 and 2021, the BJP had needed its allies to clear the 64-seat majority mark in the 126-member Assembly. Both years it had won 60 seats, at a strike rate (share of seats won among total seats contested) of 67% in 2016 and 65% in 2021. Regional allies, including the Asom Gana Parishad (AGP), Bodoland People’s Front (BPF) and United People’s Party Liberal (UPPL), had proven crucial in the BJP forming the government.

But in 2026, the BJP won 82 of the 90 seats it contested in an alliance with the AGP and BPF, at a strike rate of 91% – its best ever on record since 2014 in any state Assembly election after which the BJP contested a large number of seats and was a major contributor to government formation. Altogether, the NDA secured 102 seats, comfortably clear of the majority mark.

In Assam, the BJP’s vote share has grown steadily – from 29.5% in 2016 to 33.2% in 2021 to 38.3% in 2026. As an alliance, the NDA combined vote share also grew at a similar clip – from 41.6% to 44.5% to 47.2% this year.

The BJP’s 2026 performance stands out from previous years – the party has notched its highest vote share in a single seat, recorded a 50% jump in its average winning margins compared to 2021, and won almost every seat with at least 50% of the vote share.

In 2016, the BJP had won 30 of its 60 seats with a vote share of at least 50%. Across all its seats, the average winning margin was 24,580 votes. While the highest vote share was recorded in Gauhati East at 78.5%, the highest margin was 1.3 lakh votes in Dispur.

In 2021, the party won 42 of its 60 seats with a vote share of at least 50%. Its average winning margin was 29,711 votes, an improvement from 2016, but its highest margin dipped to 1.22 lakh in Dispur. The party’ highest vote share came in Jalukbari, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma’s seat, at 77.4%.

By 2026, the BJP won as many as 77 of its 82 seats with a vote share above 50% and its average winning margin has now ballooned to 44,782 votes. While its highest margin was recorded in Lakhipur at 99,401 votes, down from the previous two elections, its highest vote share also came in Lakhipur at 81.5%.

BJP’s most dominant wins

An analysis of the BJP election victories since 2014 (in states the BJP contested a large number of seats and was a major contributor to government formation) shows that the party recorded its highest strike rate in Assam this year, followed by 89% in the 2024 Maharashtra polls, 88% in the 2025 Bihar polls, 86% in the 2022 Gujarat polls, and 81% in the 2017 Uttar Pradesh polls.

👁 With 91% strike rate, BJP’s Assam win ranks as its most dominant since 2014, powers policy push
However, in terms of vote shares alone, the 2026 Assam result does not figure among the top performances. With a vote share of 54.57%, the BJP’s victory in the 2024 Arunachal Pradesh Assembly polls is its best showing since 2014. Among the 33 Assembly elections analysed, the 2026 Assam vote share is only 19th highest.

👁 With 91% strike rate, BJP’s Assam win ranks as its most dominant since 2014, powers policy push

The other states where the BJP’s highest vote shares were recorded include Gujarat at 52.5% in 2022, Arunachal at 50.9% in 2019, Gujarat at 49.1% in 2017 and Madhya Pradesh at 49% in 2023.

Among the state elections analysed, the BJP has cleared the 50%-mark in terms of vote share just three times, and managed between 40% and 50% in 13 state polls.