Assam caretaker Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on May 5 took a swipe at Congress leader Pawan Khera, claiming that the latter’s press conference during the election campaign indirectly helped the BJP secure a sweeping victory in Assam.

Addressing the media in Guwahati, Sarma remarked humorously that he would offer “a lot of peda” to Khera if the police summon him to Assam.

“When the police call Pawan Khera here, I will feed him a lot of peda and thank him for it,” Sarma said.

The Chief Minister further claimed that Khera’s press conference had politically benefited the BJP during the Assembly elections.

“I think Pawan Khera did a very good thing by holding the press conference as it helped us a lot in our victory. A lot of votes shifted towards us because of that press conference, and even Gaurav Gogoi lost his seat,” he added.

The remarks came after the BJP-led NDA returned to power in Assam for a third consecutive term with a massive mandate in the 2026 Assembly elections. The BJP alone secured 82 seats in the 126-member Assembly.

Congress leader Gaurav Gogoi also suffered a major setback after losing the Jorhat Assembly constituency to BJP candidate Hitendra Nath Goswami by over 23,000 votes.