Assam will vote on Thursday in a high-stakes election to its 126-member Assembly, with the BJP-led NDA seeking a third consecutive term and the Congress-led opposition aiming to return to power after nearly a decade.
Polling will take place from 7 am to 5 pm across 31,490 polling stations spread over 35 districts. A total of 2.50 crore voters are eligible to cast their ballots, including 1.25 crore women and 318 from the third gender.
The contest is largely bipolar in most constituencies, pitting the ruling BJP-led NDA against an opposition alliance helmed by the Congress. The stakes are high for both sides, with the BJP looking to consolidate its dominance in the Northeast, while the Congress hopes to stage a comeback after being ousted in 2016.
A total of 722 candidates are in the fray. Among the prominent contenders are Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, state Congress president Gaurav Gogoi,
Leader of Opposition Debabrata Saikia, AIUDF chief Badruddin Ajmal, Raijor Dal leader Akhil Gogoi, and Assam Jatiya Parishad president Lurinjyoti Gogoi.
The Congress has fielded the highest number of candidates at 99, followed by the BJP with 90. Among other major players, the AIUDF has put up 30 candidates, while NDA partners Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) and Bodoland People’s Front (BPF) are contesting 26 and 11 seats respectively.
Within the opposition bloc, Raijor Dal is contesting 13 seats, Assam Jatiya Parishad (AJP) 10, CPI(M) 3, and APHLC 2. Other parties in the fray include AAP (18), UPPL (18), TMC (22), and JMM (16), alongside 258 Independents.
Constituency-wise, Algapur-Katlicherra and Karimganj South have the highest number of candidates at 15 each. In contrast, nine seats, Rangia, Jagiroad (SC), Hojai, Naduar, Jonai (ST), Doomdooma, Mahmora, Teok and Lakhipur, have only two candidates each.
Women remain underrepresented in the contest, with just 59 female candidates. The Congress has fielded the highest number of women at 14, followed by the BJP with seven.
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Several constituencies are set to witness closely watched contests. In Jalukbari, Sarma is seeking a sixth consecutive term against Congress candidate Bidisha Neog. In Jorhat, Gaurav Gogoi is attempting his Assembly debut against BJP’s Hitendranath Goswami.
Nazira will see Debabrata Saikia trying to retain his family stronghold against BJP’s Mayur Borgohain, while the Tamulpur seat in the Bodoland Territorial Region is set for a direct fight involving UPPL chief Pramod Boro.
AIUDF chief Badruddin Ajmal is contesting from Binnakandi in a triangular battle against AGP’s Shahabuddin Mazumdar and AJP’s Rejaul Karim Chowdhury. In Sibsagar, Akhil Gogoi faces a three-cornered contest against BJP’s Jayanta Hazarika and AGP’s Pradip Hazarika.
Other key contests include Khowang, where AJP’s Lurinjyoti Gogoi is pitted against BJP’s Chakradhar Gogoi, and Bokakhat, where AGP president and minister Atul Bora faces a triangular contest.
Chief Electoral Officer Anurag Goel said webcasting facilities have been enabled at all polling stations for real-time monitoring of the voting process. Central Armed Police Forces, including CRPF personnel, have been deployed across the state to ensure a peaceful poll.
The electorate includes 6.42 lakh first-time voters, 2.50 lakh voters aged 80 and above, including 2,466 centenarians, and 2.05 lakh persons with disabilities, signaling the scale and diversity of the electoral exercise.
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