{"id":198071,"date":"2026-04-08T18:30:58","date_gmt":"2026-04-08T13:30:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/kmsnews.org\/kms\/?p=198071"},"modified":"2026-04-08T18:30:58","modified_gmt":"2026-04-08T13:30:58","slug":"hindutva-assam-cm-skips-muslim-majority-seats-sparks-concerns-over-inclusivity","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/kmsnews.org\/kms\/2026\/04\/08\/hindutva-assam-cm-skips-muslim-majority-seats-sparks-concerns-over-inclusivity.html","title":{"rendered":"Hindutva Assam CM skips Muslim-majority seats, sparks concerns over inclusivity"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-198072\" src=\"https:\/\/kmsnews.org\/kms\/assests\/2026\/04\/1.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"375\" height=\"255\" srcset=\"https:\/\/kmsnews.org\/kms\/assests\/2026\/04\/1.png 375w, https:\/\/kmsnews.org\/kms\/assests\/2026\/04\/1-324x220.png 324w, https:\/\/kmsnews.org\/kms\/assests\/2026\/04\/1-220x150.png 220w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 375px) 100vw, 375px\" \/>Dispur: In a move drawing sharp criticism, the BJP Chief Minister of Assam, Himanta Biswa Sarma, widely seen as a hardline Hindutva figure, has skipped campaigning in 25 Muslim-majority constituencies, boasting he doesn\u2019t require their support in the state assembly elections this week.<\/p>\n<p>According to Kashmir Media Service, the constituencies avoided by Sarma are home to large populations of Bengali-speaking Muslims. In a media interview, he remarked, \u201cShould I ask for their votes? As of now, we are not thinking of taking those votes. That is why I have not even campaigned in 25 constituencies where Bengali-speaking Muslims have a large influence.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The remarks have drawn attention, given that Muslims make up around 34% of the Assam\u2019s population. Critics argue the statement raises serious concerns about representation and accountability, with the chief minister openly indicating a lack of outreach to a significant section of the electorate.<\/p>\n<p>Political observers suggest that the move may reflect a calculated electoral strategy aimed at consolidating the Hindu vote. However, it has also intensified debate over inclusivity and the role of identity in democratic politics.<\/p>\n<p>During his tenure, Sarma has seen several controversial measures and actions perceived to disproportionately impact Muslims. These include large-scale eviction drives in Muslim-populated under the guise of anti-encroachment operations, the implementation of policies targeting so-called \u201cillegal immigrants,\u201d which have raised concerns about profiling of Bengali-speaking Muslims, and rhetoric around demographic changes that opposition leaders and civil society groups say contributes to communal polarisation.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Dispur: In a move drawing sharp criticism, the BJP Chief Minister of Assam, Himanta Biswa Sarma, widely seen as a hardline Hindutva figure, has skipped campaigning in 25 Muslim-majority constituencies, boasting he doesn\u2019t require their support in the state assembly elections this week. According to Kashmir Media Service, the constituencies avoided by Sarma are home &hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":198072,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[14],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-198071","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-india"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/kmsnews.org\/kms\/assests\/2026\/04\/1.png","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/kmsnews.org\/kms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/198071","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/kmsnews.org\/kms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/kmsnews.org\/kms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kmsnews.org\/kms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kmsnews.org\/kms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=198071"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/kmsnews.org\/kms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/198071\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":198073,"href":"https:\/\/kmsnews.org\/kms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/198071\/revisions\/198073"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kmsnews.org\/kms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/198072"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kmsnews.org\/kms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=198071"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kmsnews.org\/kms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=198071"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kmsnews.org\/kms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=198071"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}