Assam To Vote In Single Phase On April 9, Counting Of Votes On May 4

The Election Commission of India on Sunday announced that the Assam Legislative Assembly polls will be held on April 9, with counting of votes scheduled for May 4. 

The announcement covers simultaneous elections in Tamil Nadu, Kerala, West Bengal and the Union Territory of Puducherry, whose assembly terms expire between May and June this year. 

Election Commission laid out the full schedule, including the number of phases and security arrangements. Final electoral rolls for all five states and the Union Territory have already been published following the Special Intensive Revision exercise.

With the model code of conduct now in force across these regions, no new welfare announcements or voter-wooing schemes can be made by any government or party. 

Assam, the gateway to India's Northeast, is set for a high-stakes contest in which Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma is seeking a second consecutive term while the Congress-led opposition is attempting a comeback after a decade in the wilderness.

Assam Assembly: 126 Seats, First Polls After 2023 Delimitation

The House has remained at 126 seats despite the 2023 delimitation exercise that redrew constituency boundaries to reflect fresh population data. This will be the first assembly election conducted on the new map. The polls are expected to be held in a single phase in Assam, in contrast to multi-phase voting anticipated in West Bengal. 

Central security forces are already being positioned, and deployment will now be overseen by Election Commission-appointed observers in coordination with district officials.

What Happened In 2021 Assam Elections

In the previous assembly elections held in three phases in 2021, the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) led by the Bharatiya Janata Party retained power with a comfortable majority. 

The coalition won 75 seats -- crossing the magic mark of 64 -- while the Congress-led "Mahajot" alliance secured 50 seats. The BJP alone emerged as the single largest party with approximately 33.2 per cent of the popular vote. Its allies, the Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) and United People's Party Liberal (UPPL), added 7.9 per cent and 3.4 per cent respectively, giving the NDA a combined vote share of roughly 44.8 per cent.

The Congress polled 29.7 per cent and the All India United Democratic Front (AIUDF) 9.3 per cent, but the opposition alliance still fell short. The result marked the first time in Assam's history that a non-Congress government returned to power for a consecutive term. Himanta Biswa Sarma, who had earlier served as a senior Congress minister before switching sides in 2015, was sworn in as Chief Minister, succeeding Sarbananda Sonowal.

At present, the ruling NDA commands 83 seats: BJP (64), AGP (9), UPPL (7) and Bodoland People's Front (BPF) (3). The opposition benches have 42 members -- Congress (26), AIUDF (15), CPI(M) (1) -- plus one Independent.

BJP: Campaigning For A Third Straight Term

On Friday, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma released three election songs at the party headquarters in Guwahati. The tracks, attended by senior leaders including Pradan Baruah, Rekha Verma and Bansuri Swaraj, centre on the themes of "development, good governance and welfare initiatives" of both the Central and state governments.

The party is set to launch its flagship "Jan Ashirwad Yatra" on Saturday from the historic Gupteshwar Temple in the Dhekiajuli assembly constituency. The eight-day initial phase, running under the leadership of Sarma and state president Dilip Saikia, aims to reach one lakh people every day. 

State spokesperson Jayanta Kumar Goswami described the yatra as a direct outreach exercise that will highlight the achievements of the past ten years and seek the blessings of citizens for a third consecutive term.

Congress And The Opposition Alliance

The Congress, out of power since 2016, is leading a multi-party opposition front that includes the CPI(M), Assam Jatiya Parishad and the support of CPI(ML) Liberation. The Raijor Dal, which had been part of the previous Mahajot, has opted out this time, with its leader Akhil Gogoi had won his seat as an Independent in 2021.

State Congress chief and senior leader Gaurav Gogoi is spearheading the campaign. The party has already announced candidates for 65 of the 126 seats, leaving 15 for its allies. 

On Saturday, Congress general secretary (Organisation) KC Venugopal released the second list of 23 nominees. Three sitting MLAs -- Wazed Ali Choudhury (Birsing Jarua), Abul Kalam Rasheed Alam (Goalpara East) and Rakibuddin Ahmed (Chamaria) -- have been renominated. 

Former Lok Sabha MP and two-time MLA Abdul Khaleque will contest from Mandia. Other notable names in the second list include Bipul Gogoi (Tingkhong), Kartik Chandra Kurmi (Rangapara), Santanu Borah (New Guwahati), Kishore Kumar Barua (Dimoria), Nurul Islam (Srijangram) and Devid Phukan (Tinsukia). 

The first list, released on March 3, had named 42 candidates, including Gaurav Gogoi from Jorhat, Leader of Opposition Debabrata Saikia from Nazira, and former Pradesh Congress Committee president Ripun Bora from Barchalla.

The Congress has reserved constituencies such as Bajali, Palasbari, Guwahati Central, Goreswar, Morigaon, Barhampur, Bindakandi, Behali, Dibrugarh and Diphu for alliance partners.

Other Regional Parties

The AGP and UPPL remain key NDA allies and are expected to contest a number of seats in their traditional strongholds in Upper Assam and the Bodoland region, respectively. 

The BPF, though part of the ruling coalition, has seen its influence tested after delimitation. On the opposition side, the AIUDF continues to be a major player among certain minority communities and is likely to field candidates in Lower Assam and Barak Valley pockets.

The Assam Jatiya Parishad has joined the Congress-led front, while the Raijor Dal's decision to stay away has altered the arithmetic in several constituencies. Smaller players and Independents are also expected to influence outcomes in tight contests.