Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma alleges corruption in Congress ticket distribution

(Note: Miyan Muslims refers to Bengali-speaking Muslims.)

Assam’s Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma

Guwahati (Assam) – The Congress party is demanding ₹3–4 crore from aspirants seeking to contest Assembly elections from constituencies with a majority of Miyan Muslim voters, alleged Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma. He stated that the same practice was followed during the previous elections as well. Out of Assam’s 126 Assembly constituencies, around 25 have a significant concentration of Miyan Muslim voters. (Note: Miyan Muslims refers to Bengali-speaking Muslims.)

Advance payments allegedly collected from some candidates

Chief Minister Sarma further claimed that some candidates have already deposited advance amounts. He said that during the last elections, the Congress did not even refund the application fees of its workers in constituencies where candidates from the Opposition alliance contested. He asserted that the entire structure of the Congress party runs on money, whereas the BJP does not charge any fee or accept donations for granting tickets.

For the 2026 Assam Assembly elections, the Congress party has invited applications for candidature and has fixed a non-refundable application fee of ₹50,000.