Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Thursday claimed that Muslims of Bangladeshi origin could make up nearly 40 per cent of Assam’s population in the next Census. He said the upcoming Census may bring “unfortunate news” for the state, as, according to him, there has been a steady demographic change over the past several decades.

Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of a government programme, Sarma said the population of “Bangladeshi Muslims” in Assam has been increasing continuously. “The Census will bring more unfortunate news for Assam. The number of Bangladeshi Muslims will touch nearly 40 per cent of the total population,” he claimed.

The chief minister has made similar statements earlier as well. In July last year, Sarma said that if the current population growth trend continues, the number of Muslims in Assam could become almost equal to the Hindu population by the year 2041.

According to data from the 2011 Census, Assam had a total population of around 3.12 crore. Out of this, 1.07 crore people were Muslims, accounting for 34.22 per cent, while 1.92 crore were Hindus, making up 61.47 per cent of the population. The next nationwide Census, which was originally scheduled for 2021 but delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, will now be conducted in 2027. The process will take place in two phases, house listing and housing census from April to September 2026, followed by population enumeration in February 2027.

Sarma also spoke about the ongoing Special Revision of electoral rolls in Assam. He said that all BJP MLAs and booth-level agents (BLAs) have been instructed to identify and report “any doubtful person” during the revision process. “We will try that all doubtful Miya Muslim votes are cut. I have instructed all MLAs and BLAs to flag any doubtful person and register complaints through the proper process,” he said.

Responding to allegations from opposition parties that voters who do not support the BJP are being removed from the electoral rolls, Sarma rejected the claims. He said that if the Congress or any other party believes that eligible voters’ names have been wrongly deleted or not included, they should follow the official process instead of holding press conferences. “They should file the relevant forms for inclusion or exclusion,” he said.

The chief minister also criticised the Congress, claiming that the party has lost its influence in Assam. He remarked that except for illegal Bangladeshi migrants, no indigenous people would vote for the Congress. Sarma further said that the opposition does not appear active on the ground ahead of the Assembly elections, expected to be held in March–April. On BJP’s seat-sharing plans, he said a final decision would be taken by February 15.