The newly carved Boko-Chaygaon assembly constituency — reserved for Scheduled Tribes — saw a sharp uptick in campaign activity on Wednesday, with both the Congress and the National People's Party (NPP) bringing in prominent faces from Meghalaya to make their case to the electorate.
With nearly 30,000 Garo voters in the constituency, both parties are clearly treating this community as the key to winning the seat.
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Meghalaya's Tura MP Saleng A Sangma joined Congress candidate Ramen Singh Rabha at a series of public meetings across villages, urging voters to reject communal politics and rally behind the Congress.
Sangma accused the BJP of being anti-Christian and alleged that the party was trying to split the Garo vote by projecting the NPP candidate as its proxy in the constituency. He also pointed out that even Deputy Speaker Dr Numal Momin had been denied a ticket, framing it as evidence of the BJP sidelining tribal voices.
Congress candidate Rabha also weighed in on a remark made by BJP nominee Raju Mech, who had said that voting for the BJP would be a "pious act." Rabha called it the "most absurd comment of the 2026 Assembly election."
On the same day, the NPP inaugurated its election office near National Highway 17 in central Boko, in a show of organisational momentum for its candidate Ganseng B Sangma.
The event was attended by NPP national Vice-President Irengbam Hemochandra Singh and Meghalaya Minister Marcuise N Marak, both of whom campaigned actively for Sangma. Singh highlighted strong public support for the NPP, while Marak pointed to the party's rapid growth since its founding in 2012, asserting that Assam would soon have its first NPP legislator.
Responding directly to Saleng A Sangma's claim that the NPP is the "BJP's B-team," Marak pushed back firmly, stating that the NPP is an independent party with its own constitution and ideology — and not a proxy for any other political formation.
The inauguration also saw a number of local youths formally join the party, with candidate Ganseng B Sangma appealing to voters to back the NPP's book symbol.
The Boko-Chaygaon seat's ST reservation and its substantial Garo voter base have made it a politically significant constituency — one where outside influence from Meghalaya-based leaders on both sides reflects just how closely this contest is being watched beyond Assam's borders.
With BJP's Raju Mech also in the race, the final result may hinge on how the Garo vote divides — or consolidates — across the three main contenders.