Assam to vote in single phase on April 9, counting to take place on May 4

ELections to Assam’s 126-member gathering testament be held on apr 9, v years ahead of Bohag Bihu (Rongali Bihu), the state's biggest festival marking the Assamese New Year, and the results will be declared on May 4, the Election Commission of India (ECI) announced on Sunday.The announcement has set the stage for what is expected to be a keenly fought contest between the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Opposition Congress-led groupings.March 23 will be the last date for filing nominations, which can be withdrawn by March 26. This will be the first assembly election after the 2023 delimitation that resulted in large-scale restructuring of boundaries of the 126 seats and the special revision (SR) of the electoral roll, which concluded in February.Along with Assam, Kerala and the Union Territory of Puducherry will also vote in a single phase on April 9. Meanwhile, Tamil Nadu will vote on April 23 and West Bengal will vote in two phases on April 23 and April 29.Assam assembly election | Full schedule• Date of issue of gazette notification: March 16, 2026• Last date for nominations: March 23, 2026• Date for scrutiny of nominations: March 24, 2026• Last date for withdrawal of candidatures: March 26, 2026• Date of polling: April 9, 2026• Date of counting: May 4, 2026• Day before which poll shall be completed: May 6, 2026The BJP, which came to power in Assam for the first time in 2016, is hoping to retain power for the third consecutive time in alliance with Asom Gana Parishad (AGP), Bodoland Peoples Front (BPF), and Rabha Hasong Joutha Mancha (RHJM).Also Read | ‘Convenient’: Election Commission of India on why Bengal election phases have been reduced from 8 to 2The Congress has allied with the Assam Jatiya Parishad (AJP), Communist Party of India (Marxist) or CPI(M), and All Party Hill Leaders Conference (APHLC). It was unclear whether Raijor Dal, which has one seat in the outgoing assembly, will be part of the alliance. The All India United Democratic Front (AIUDF), which has a support base among Bengali-speaking Muslims, is all set to contest on its own.Contest between CM Sarma, Assam Congress chief GogoiThe 2026 election is seen as a direct contest between chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma and state Congress chief Gaurav Gogoi. With over 30-year political experience, Sarma, 57, is the BJP’s most prominent leader in Assam and the northeast. Gogoi, 43, the son of former chief minister Tarun Gogoi, entered electoral politics 12 years ago.Sarma has accused Gogoi of links with the Pakistan establishment, as his British wife worked in that country. Gogoi has denied the accusations, but said he visited Pakistan in 2013 before becoming a member of Parliament for the first time.Sarma represented the Jalukbari seat consecutively for five terms since 2001. The seat no longer exists following the delimitation. It remains to be seen where he will contest from. Gogoi, who represents the Jorhat seat in the Lok Sabha, will contest the assembly constituency with the same name under his parliamentary constituency.Key issues ahead of electionsThe large-scale evictions to remove “encroachments” from over 49,500 acres of government and forest land will be one of the key poll issues. The move targeted Bengali-speaking Muslims and left thousands of families homeless in makeshift camps without basic amenities.The Scheduled Tribe (ST) status to the Tai Ahom, Koch-Rajbongshi, Tea Tribes (Adivasi), Moran, Motok, and Chutia communities will be another major issue. The BJP had promised the status in 2014 ahead of the Lok Sabha polls. The matter remained pending and triggered protests last year.The BJP has reached out to voters with issues such as development, protection of indigenous rights, corruption free jobs. The Congress-led Opposition has targeted Sarma for allegedly amassing huge wealth, allocating large tracts of the state’s land and resources to prominent industrial houses.Previous Assembly election resultIn 2021, the BJP won 60 of the 126 seats and formed the government for the second time with the support of its allies. The Congress won 29 seats and the AIUDF 16.Hours before the poll schedule was announced, Union home minister Amit Shah said the BJP-led government will return to power with record numbers. Shah, who was on a two-day visit to the state beginning Saturday, addressed a gathering of the BJP's youth workers in Guwahati.Shah accused the previous Congress government of disrespecting Assam's language, heritage, and culture and failing to do anything to curb terror outfits.He blamed the Congress for encouraging "infiltrators" for the sake of vote bank politics. Shah said once the BJP returns to power in Assam for the third time, they will be detained and deported.