Guwahati: Regionalism in Assam, once the dominant force shaping state’s politics, remains at its weakest. Asom Gana Parishad (AGP), born out of the historic Assam movement against Bangladeshi infiltrators and twice forming the govt, has steadily declined since the rise of BJP.This election was yet another test, and the party which had been reduced to its lowest tally of nine seats in 2021, managed only a marginal improvement this time, securing 10 seats.Once the largest regional party in the northeast, AGP, which handheld BJP in 2001 assembly elections and later in Lok Sabha polls as a senior partner, now survives largely as a junior partner in the BJP-led NDA.Its influence has shrunk, and its identity politics has been overshadowed by the BJP’s ability to absorb and amplify the same themes while combining them with welfare delivery and national leadership appeal.Similarly, two other smaller and newer regional outfits, Raijor Dal and Assam Jatiya Parishad (AJP), which contested their second assembly elections in 2026, are still struggling to gain a solid foothold.While Raijor Dal led by Akhil Gogoi has managed to better its 2021 tally of one seat to two, AJP drew a blank for the second time.Two other regional parties, UPPL and BPF, based out of the Bodo heartland, are fighting for political space within their limited seats. If it was UPPL which had an upper hand in 2021, winning six with BPF managing four, in this election the fortunes have reversed. BPF won the lion’s share of 10 of the 15 seats while UPPL bowed out without a single win.Together, AGP, Raijor Dal and BPF hold only 22 of Assam’s 126 assembly seats, compared to BJP’s commanding majority of over 82, producing an imbalance that starkly illustrates the decline of regionalism.The 2026 results confirm that regionalism in Assam is at the crossroads. Unless AGP, Raijor Dal, AJP, BPF and UPPL reinvent themselves beyond identity politics and present credible governance alternatives, they risk fading into irrelevance.On the flip side, AIUDF led by Badruddin Ajmal faced a similar fate at the hands of its Muslim supporters, who ensured that the party which won 16 seats just five years back, was reduced to a meager two seats this time around.If AGP, Raijor Dal, AJP, BPF and UPPL are living under the shadow of BJP, AIUDF’s downfall has been due to Congress.
