Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma is best described as a strategic opportunist with Emotional Capital. His political journey shows a rare blend of professional acumen, physical and mental resilience, and hard-earned wisdom from the field. With his easygoing “mama” persona, he connects with the masses, yet beneath the simplicity lies a sharp instinct for turning emotions into political strength.

This instinct was most visible during the last journey of Assamese national pride, Zubeen Garg. The singer’s sudden death plunged the state into mourning. From children to elders, commoners to corporates, an ocean of sorrow swept across Assam. In such moments, even a dead body speaks — it attracts crowds, whispers grow into words, words become voices, and voices can turn into protest. HBS understood this chain better than anyone.

Zubeen’s charisma, in life or death, carried the power to move millions. Sorrow on this scale could easily slip into anger, and collective anger could set the state aflame. Assam had witnessed this during the anti-CAA protests, when Zubeen’s voice itself had tempered the crowd’s rage. His absence, therefore, was a tinderbox moment.

HBS made a deliberate, risky choice: to lead the funeral journey from the front. Not just as Chief Minister, but as a mourner among mourners. He walked the dual path of authority and empathy, anchoring grief before it spilled into unrest. It was a dangerous manoeuvre — one misstep could have turned the wave of emotion against him — but it also offered him the chance to recast his image.

In recent months, critics had accused HBS of being distracted, focused on non-issues, and slipping in public connect. Yet through Zubeen’s last journey — from Singapore to Sonapur — he presented himself as a simple, kind-hearted neighbour, the “mama” people trusted. His presence softened anger, gave the state a focal point for mourning, and transformed his own political standing.

This was more than symbolic politics. It was emotional statecraft — the careful management of public sentiment at a time of danger. By guiding sorrow, HBS prevented it from hardening into violence. He turned a moment of instability into an act of unity, securing both Assam’s calm and his own political capital.

In that ocean of grief, where anger lay waiting at the shore, Himanta Biswa Sarma steered carefully, balancing power with empathy. It was opportunism, yes — but opportunism elevated by emotional intelligence. That is why he endures not only as Assam’s administrator, but as its Strategic Opportunist with Emotional Capital.