Assam Assembly Elections 2026: War of Words between Incumbent CM Himanta Biswa Sarma And Debutant Politician Kunki Chowdhury

The five term MLA and incumbent CM Himanta Biswa Sarma, looking for a historic hat-trick of the BJP, has targeted the youngest electoral candidate in the state, Kunki Chowdhury. Marking her political debut at 27 years, she is contesting the newly formed Guwahati Central constituency in lower Assam. CM Sarma hit out at Chowdhury while campaigning in Dibrugarh on Thursday, April 2, 2026, stating that her mother, Sujata Gurung Chowdhury, had allegedly shared photos of eating beef on social media. 

Guwahati Central Constituency was formed after the 2023 delimitation exercise in Assam. Apart from Kunki Chowdhury, Vijay Kumar Gupta, BJP stalwart and veteran politician, Avijit Mazumdar from the TMC and Bipul Debnath from the All India Forward Bloc are contesting the seat. Two independent candidates, and one AAP candidate are also fighting for the seat. 

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The Beef Row And 'Anti-National' Allegations

Sujata Chowdhury runs an online media news portal, NorthEast Now, based in Guwahati, Assam. She has frequently criticised CM Sarma in her social media posts. Hitting out at her, CM Sarma told reporters that she had openly supported Umar Khalid and Sharjeel Imam in her posts. He claimed that by supporting them on their remarks on the Siliguri Corridor (also known as Chicken’s Neck), she supported anti-national activities. 

During another campaign on Friday, April 3, 2026, CM Sarma doubled down on his attack on the Chowdhury family. He said: “The girl’s parents not only eat beef, but they also show it to the public and eat. Are we not Hindus? In Assam, there is a law against publicly eating beef and eating beef in places where Hindu people stay. Despite such a strong law, how can her mother eat beef?… Cow is our mother”

Kunki Chowdhury however, termed the allegations false and baseless. Speaking to the media on April 3, 2026, she said that she was surprised by this attention from the CM himself, which indicated that he was afraid of her candidature and the support she received. She also criticised the CM for targeting her family. Her mother also hit back at CM Sarma, stating that the allegations against her of eating beef were completely false and factually incorrect. The senior Chowdhury also called for verification of any purported images. 

Hitting out at CM Sarma’s claims of her being anti-national, Sujata Chowdhury also mentioned that she was from a patriot family and her grandfather, Ari Bahadur Gurung, was a member of the Constituent Assembly. She also said that her uncle, Dambar Singh Gurung, was the founding president of the All India Gorkha League. 

A Gen Z Candidate's Profile

Kunki Chowdhury is fighting on a ticket from Congress’s ally Assam Jatiya Parishad, led by Lurinjyoti Gogoi. She belongs to a Guwahati based family that runs a prominent trust operating several educational institutions across Assam. According to her election affidavit, she has a Master of Arts in Education Leadership from University College London (graduating in 2025). She has also declared her total movable assets at around ₹11.87 lakhs, and total liabilities at over ₹23 lakh. 

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The Broader Assam Polls

Assam goes to polls on April 9, 2026 in a single phase. The counting will be conducted on May 4, 2026. Congress’ alliance with the AJP and Raijor Dal has brought the three prominent Gogoi leaders, Gaurav Gogoi, Akhil Gogoi and Lurinjyoti Gogoi together on one united side. While Gaurav Gogoi is contesting from Jorhat constituency, Akhil Gogoi is contesting from his stronghold Sibsagar, and Lurinjyoti Gogoi is debuting his assembly polls from Khowang constituency. 

(Rh)

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