Political Dynamics Heat Up Ahead of Assam Assembly Elections 2026
Political Landscape Shifts in Assam
The political atmosphere in Assam is intensifying as the 2026 assembly elections approach. On Saturday, two significant developments unfolded in the state's political arena. The Trinamool Congress (TMC), led by Mamata Banerjee, announced its first list of 17 candidates, marking its entry into the state, while the Congress party released its fourth list, reshaping the electoral dynamics.
TMC's Show of Strength in Assam
Following its expansion in West Bengal, TMC is now gearing up to establish its presence in Assam. The initial list of candidates includes notable names such as Jiten Nag from Digboi, Tapas Das from Udharbond, Mominur Islam from Bilaspara, Rajan Chauhan from Gorewar, Dulu Ahmed from Chamarija, and Arif Akhtar Ahmed from Jalewhar. TMC's entry is set to make the multi-cornered contest in Assam even more intriguing, particularly in areas with a significant Bengali-speaking voter base.
Congress's Fourth List: Ticket Changes and Alliances
On April 9, the Congress party unveiled its fourth list of seven candidates for the upcoming elections. Key highlights from this list include the following:
Change in Candidate: Pran Kurmi has been nominated instead of the current MLA Bhaskar Barua from Titabor, a traditional stronghold of the Gogoi family.
Alliance Strategy: Congress has allocated 11 seats to its ally, the Raijor Dal, including crucial constituencies like Sivasagar, Mariani, and Digboi.
Challenging the CM: In Jalukbari, Congress has fielded Bidisha Niyog against Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma.
Focus on Youth: Former NSUI president Joy Prakash Das will contest from Naoboicha, while Rohit Pariga will run from Tangla.
Congress's Comprehensive Candidate List
In total, Congress has announced 94 candidates for the 126-member Assam assembly elections. The party is contesting as part of a six-party alliance and had previously stated it would reserve 15 seats for its partners. The central election committee of the party has finalized the candidates for the elections. Titabor, adjacent to the Jorhat constituency where state Congress president Gaurav Gogoi is contesting, has historically been a stronghold for the Gogoi family, previously represented by former Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi.
In Jalukbari, Congress is challenging CM Himanta Biswa Sarma with Bidisha Niyog. Joy Prakash Das from Naoboicha and Rohit Pariga from Tangla are among the youth candidates. Other announced candidates include Jayant Borah from Biswanath and Rahul Roy from Hailakandi. The seats reserved for the Raijor Dal include Manas, Dalgaon, Dhing, Kaliabor, Tezpur, Sissibargaon, Margherita, Digboi, Sivasagar, Mariani, and Bokakhat.
Earlier, Congress had released its third list of 22 candidates, which included four sitting MLAs, two of whom are executive presidents of the state unit. The first list of 42 candidates was announced on March 3, followed by another list of 23 candidates on March 14.
Congress is leading a coalition of opposition parties, which includes Raijor Dal, CPI(M), Assam Ethnic Council, CPI (ML) Liberation, and the All Party Hill Leaders Conference.
NDA's Election Strategy in Assam
Additionally, the NDA's candidate list reveals that the BJP will contest in 89 constituencies, the Assam Gana Parishad in 26, and the Bodoland People's Front in 11. It is important to note that voting for the Assam assembly elections is scheduled for April 9, with the counting of votes set for May 4. The main competition is anticipated to be between the ruling NDA led by the BJP and the Congress-led alliance.