A heated political clash unfolds in Assam as Sarma and Khera trade charges, even as voters turn out in large numbers for a crucial assembly election.
Himanta Biswa Sarma
Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Thursday launched a sharp attack on Congress leader Pawan Khera, dismissing him as a “bhagora” and refusing to respond to his allegations.
The exchange comes at a politically sensitive moment, with Assam voting in a single phase on Thursday and tensions rising over a passport-related controversy involving leaders from both sides.
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Sarma questioned both the relevance of the Congress and Khera himself. “Where is this Congress party? Which Congress party? I have not even heard about it. Who is Pawan Khera? He is a ‘bhagora’. Why do I need to reply to him?” the Chief Minister said.
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#WATCH | Kamrup: Assam CM and candidate from Jalukbari, Himanta Biswa Sarma, says, “Where is this Congress party? Which Congress party? I have not even heard about it. Who is Pawan Khera? He is a ‘bhagora’ (absconder). Why do I need to reply to him?…” pic.twitter.com/tE7Du9wcmU
— ANI (@ANI) April 9, 2026
The remarks follow fresh accusations made by Khera, who, in a video shared by the Congress from an undisclosed location, alleged corruption against Sarma and challenged him to respond. The party posted the video on X with a message asking the Chief Minister to answer “if you have the guts”.
In the video, Khera criticised the police action taken against him and said he would not be intimidated. He also called for an investigation into the matter.
Here is Media & Publicity Department Chairman @Pawankhera ji with new revelations and more questions for Assam’s corrupt Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma from an undisclosed location.
असम के मुख्यमंत्री हिमंता बिस्वा सरमा गंभीर भ्रष्टाचार के आरोपों से घिरे हुए हैं। बजाए सवालों… pic.twitter.com/auRbxF1CQh
— Assam Congress (@INCAssam) April 8, 2026
The political sparring has intensified after the Congress claimed that Sarma’s wife, Riniki Bhuyan Sharma, holds three passports. Around the same time, Assam Police conducted searches at Khera’s residence in Delhi. The searches followed an FIR filed earlier this week by Sharma.
Earlier this week, addressing a press conference in Guwahati, Sarma said he would take “stringent action” against Khera and asked people to “wait for a few days”.
The Chief Minister also rejected the corruption allegations, claiming that documents linking his family to properties in Dubai were illegally accessed from an online document-sharing platform. He maintained that the Congress has lost its ground in Assam and reiterated earlier claims about alleged foreign links in the ongoing passport controversy involving Khera and Congress leader Gaurav Gogoi.
Amid the political back-and-forth, voting for the 126-member Assam Assembly began on Thursday, with voters seen lining up outside polling stations across the state.
According to the Election Commission, voter turnout stood at 59.6 per cent as of 1:30 pm.
More than 2.5 crore voters are eligible to cast their votes, including over 1.25 crore men and a nearly equal number of women voters. The electorate also includes 318 transgender voters and over 63,000 service voters.
Young voters aged 18 to 19 number over 6.4 lakh, while more than 2.5 lakh voters are above 80 years of age. Over 2 lakh voters are persons with disabilities.
Polling is being conducted across more than 31,000 stations, all equipped with webcasting facilities for monitoring. Over 1.5 lakh polling personnel have been deployed, supported by electronic voting machines and VVPAT systems, along with reserves.
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