Guwahati, May 4: The 2026 Assam Assembly elections marked a decisive shift in campaign strategy, with the BJP deploying an expansive and highly coordinated social media ecosystem that played a key role in shaping public perception of the Congress.

For the first time at this scale, the BJP’s digital machinery—comprising party handles, aligned influencers, smaller portals, and anonymous accounts—ran an aggressive, targeted campaign that consistently portrayed the Congress as a party primarily representing minorities. A central plank of this messaging was the branding of the Congress as sympathetic to illegal Bangladeshi migrants, a narrative pushed persistently across platforms.

The impact of this strategy is reflected in the results. The Congress, which managed to secure 20 seats, has been reduced to minimal representation in Hindu-majority constituencies, with only one Hindu MLA elected.
A political analyst identified three key factors behind this shift.

“First, the BJP’s unapologetic and assertive Hindu identity politics, particularly under Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, consolidated a large section of Hindu voters,” he said.
“Second, this messaging tapped into long-standing and deeply rooted anxieties among sections of Assamese Hindu voters regarding Bengali Muslims, often referred to as ‘Miya’, shaped by historical and socio-political factors.”

“Third, and crucially, a sustained and meticulously executed digital campaign amplified these sentiments and helped construct a powerful narrative labelling the Congress as a ‘Miya party’.”

According to the analyst, over the past two years, BJP-aligned digital networks ran multiple targeted campaigns aimed at key Congress leaders, particularly Gaurav Gogoi. One such campaign framed Gogoi using the label “Paaijan,” attempting to suggest proximity to Pakistan.

This narrative gained further traction following a state-backed Special Investigation Team (SIT) probe that reportedly examined links between Pakistani entities and Gogoi’s British wife. Though politically contested, the issue was widely circulated across digital platforms.

Simultaneously, online campaigns frequently labelled Congress leaders and supporters as “Miya lovers” or part of a “Miya IT Cell.” These messages were reinforced through selective visuals—such as images highlighting Muslim attendance at Congress rallies—and coordinated comment campaigns across Facebook, Instagram, and X.

In one instance, the Chief Minister publicly claimed that around 10,000 Bangladeshi-linked Facebook accounts were involved in promoting Congress content online, a statement that further strengthened the perception of consolidated Muslim support for the party.

Additionally, clips purportedly from Pakistan praising Gogoi, along with AI-generated visuals and viral posts, were widely shared to reinforce this narrative ecosystem.
Analysts say the cumulative effect of these efforts was the creation of a strong subconscious association—particularly among Hindu voters—of the Congress as a party aligned primarily with Muslim interests.
“The scale, consistency, and targeting of the campaign ensured that the messaging did not remain confined to political discourse but seeped into everyday digital consumption,” the analyst noted.

With the BJP-led alliance returning to power for a third consecutive term, the 2026 results suggest that this digitally amplified narrative may have played a significant role in reshaping electoral behaviour in Assam.