GUWAHATI

A day after taking oath as Assam’s Chief Minister for the second straight term, Himanta Biswa Sarma said that his State feels safer with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in power in the adjoining West Bengal.

He told journalists on Wednesday (May 13, 2026) that the political alignment between the two neighbouring States would go a long way in improving coordination to face shared challenges, specifically that of “illegal immigration” from Bangladesh.

Together, Assam and West Bengal share a 2,479.7 km border with Bangladesh out of a total length of 4,096.7 km.

“The two States have historically faced several common issues, particularly in law-and-order and inter-State coordination. Now that we have the same government in West Bengal, Assam is feeling much safer because of the common issues we face,” Mr Sarma said, indicating the challenges faced from across the India-Bangladesh border.

“There were instances where criminals could cross over to West Bengal in the past, and cooperation was not always easy. The new political scenario will enable both State governments to work more closely in areas of governance, security, and development,” he said.

Referring to the participation of West Bengal’s leadership in his swearing-in ceremony on Tuesday (May 12, 2026), Mr Sarma said it reflected the beginning of a stronger regional cooperation. “The presence of the West Bengal Chief Minister at the oath-taking ceremony, and the warmth shown by the people of his State, project a bright future for the northeast,” he added.

Firm on UCC

The Chief Minister asserted his government’s commitment to implementing the Uniform Civil Code (UCC), a key promise in the BJP’s election manifesto.

“Along with the UCC, we will try 100% to implement every word we mentioned in our election manifesto,” he said.

The UCC is one of the BJP’s major ideological commitments nationally. It envisages a common set of civil laws governing matters such as marriage, divorce, inheritance, and adoption for citizens adhering to all religions.

During Mr Sarma’s first term at the helm, the State government launched a drive against child marriage and polygamy, and repealed the Assam Muslim Marriage and Divorce Registration Act of 1935.