Pankaj Nath, Assam: Assam’s Karbi Autonomous Council (KAC) chief and CEM Tuliram Ronghang once again managed to hoist the flag of his popularity and regional leadership by defeating Congress candidate Augustine Anghi by a huge margin of 60,243 votes in the 2026 Assembly polls. After the counting of votes, party workers and supporters were seen celebrating the victory, while the opposition parties were also silent on the issue.
Ronghang’s victory is seen as a result of his strong sensitivity to local development schemes and the people. According to reports, Tuliram Ronghang had prioritised farm work, education and infrastructure work to win the trust of voters. As part of his election strategy, he went from village to village and interacted with voters and presented a concrete report of development, which ensured his victory. After the victory, his supporters cheered by showing in the streets and began discussing big expectations for the future. Under Ronghang’s leadership, many rural roads and bridges have been constructed and renovated, improving connectivity with remote areas. Under his leadership, local schools have been renovated, schemes to promote girls’ education and skill training programmes for the youth unemployed.
Primary health centres are strengthened, mobile medical camps are organized and maternal and child health is given special attention. Irrigation facilities, seeds and improved farming practices have been made available to the farmers. Economic empowerment through women self-help groups has been accelerated. Programmes and grants have been set up at the local level to preserve the cultural heritage and language of the Karbi community. In view of the goals of development and widespread public support, a section of the Karbi Autonomous Council and the people have requested the Chief Minister of Assam, Dr. Himanta Biswa Sarma, to give him a ministerial berth in the Assam Cabinet to take advantage of Tuliram Ronghang’s experience and regional understanding at the state level. These organisations have argued that the ministerial post in Ronghang will not only better represent the interests of the Karbi community but will also contribute to the overall development of the Northeast.
Analysts believe that Ronghang’s victory and his ministerial berth could change the balance of local politics and that his positive partnership with the Assam government is likely to garner state support for various local projects. For which The Karbi community has again appealed to Assam Chief Minister Dr. Himanta Biswa Sarma for the ministerial berth of Tuliram Ronghang.
