BJP national VP Baijayant Panda named Assam election in-charge for 2026 polls

New Delhi, Dec 15: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), on Monday, announced the appointment of Senior BJP leader and National Vice President Baijayant Panda, as the election in-charge for the 2026 Assam Assembly elections.

Sunil Kumar Sharma, MLA and Leader of the Opposition in the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly and Darshana Ben Jardosh, former Union Minister, have also been named as election co-in-charges.

According to an official statement issued by BJP National General Secretary Arun Singh, the appointments were made by party National President JP Nadda and have taken effect immediately.

The appointments are aimed at strengthening the party’s organisational framework in Assam as it prepares for the 2026 elections.

Party sources said the move reflects the BJP leadership’s focus on early planning, booth-level mobilisation and closer coordination between the central and state units to retain power in the state.

Reacting to the announcement, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma welcomed the appointments in a social media platform.

“...We are confident that under Panda ji’s guidance, the NDA will secure a historic third consecutive mandate to serve the people of Assam,” Sarma posted.

He also welcomed Darshana Ben Jardosh and Sunil Kumar Sharma as election co-in-charges.

Assam has been a key state for the BJP’s political expansion in the Northeast over the past decade, with the party forming the government for two consecutive terms.

As the state heads towards the 2026 Assembly elections, the BJP is expected to highlight its governance record, development initiatives and welfare schemes while countering the opposition’s narrative.

The election in-charge team will work closely with the Assam BJP leadership, including the state president, organisation general secretary and office-bearers, to oversee campaign planning, candidate selection and overall election management.

Political observers view the early appointment of the election in charge and co-in-charges as an indication that the BJP is keen to leave nothing to chance and aims to enter the 2026 Assembly elections with well-oiled organisational machinery in place.

IANS