Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Friday alleged that the Congress party is demanding Rs 3–4 crore from aspirants seeking party tickets in Assembly constituencies with a Muslim-majority population ahead of the upcoming state Assembly elections.

Speaking to reporters during a media interaction in Sonitpur district, Sarma claimed that the practice reflects what he described as a “money-based system” within the Congress. He referred to constituencies with a majority of Bengali-speaking Muslims, often termed as ‘Miya-Muslim’ seats, and alleged that candidates were asked to pay large sums to secure nominations.

Sarma further alleged that similar practices were followed during the previous elections and claimed that some aspirants had already paid advance amounts. He contrasted this with the Bharatiya Janata Party’s ticket selection process, stating that the BJP does not charge any fee from its candidates.

The Chief Minister also criticised the Congress for allegedly not refunding application fees in constituencies that were later allotted to alliance partners in earlier elections.

The Congress recently invited applications from prospective candidates for the March–April Assembly polls, requiring an application fee of Rs 50,000 to be submitted via bank draft at the party’s Assam Pradesh Congress Committee office between January 5 and January 20.

Following the 2023 delimitation exercise, around 25 of Assam’s 126 Assembly constituencies are considered to have a Muslim-majority electorate.

The Congress party did not issue any immediate response to the allegations made by the Chief Minister.