NEW DELHI: The high-voltage campaigning for the Assam assembly elections came to an end on Tuesday, capping two weeks of intense political exchanges, aggressive rhetoric and a slew of promises.The competition mainly revolves around the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party and the opposition Indian National Congress. The BJP campaign centered on ‘jati-mati-bheti’ – protecting the identity, land and culture of Assamese people – and taking a strong stand against alleged illegal infiltration. This narrative remains so prominent that it even overshadows the party’s welfare commitments.Congress party, on the other hand, focuses its campaign on the Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma He also accused the BJP of pursuing divisive politics and viewing the election as a battle against so-called “hate politics”.The election is the first parliamentary vote after the 2023 delimitation exercise, which redrawn constituency boundaries for all 126 seats. These changes have significantly altered the political landscape, particularly affecting Muslim voters of Bangladeshi origin, whose influence is now thought to have been reduced from 31 constituencies to 22 constituencies.The Bharatiya Janata Party is aiming for a third consecutive term in power, while the Congress seeks to recapture the state after being voted out in 2016.
Candidates and Parties in Debate
A total of 722 candidates are contesting, including Himanta Biswa Sarma, state Congress president Gaurav Gogoi, opposition leader Debabrata Saikia, All India United Democratic Front president Badruddin Ajmal, Raijor Dal leader Akhil Gogoi Gogoi and Assam People’s Front Chairman Lurinjyoti Gogoi.Among the parties, the Congress party fielded the highest number of candidates at 99, followed by the Bharatiya Janata Party with 90 candidates. AIUDF is contesting 30 seats, while NDA allies Asom Gana Parishad and Bodoland People’s Front are contesting 26 and 11 seats respectively.In the opposition camp, Raijor Dal is contesting on 13 seats, Assam Jatiya Parishad on 10 seats, Communist Party of India (Marxist) on 3 seats and All Party Hill Leaders Conference on 2 seats. Other parties in the fray include Aam Aadmi Party (18), United People’s Liberal Party (18), All India Trinamool Congress (22), Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (16) and 258 independent candidates.
faces to watch out for
There are high-profile contests in several constituencies. In Jalukbari, Sarma is seeking a sixth consecutive term against Congress candidate Bidisha Nyog. In Jorhat, Gaurav Gogoi is trying to make his parliamentary debut against the BJP’s Hitendranath Goswami.AIUDF chief Badruddin Ajmal is in a triangular contest with AGP’s Shahabuddin Mazumdar and AJP’s Rejaul Karim Chowdhury.In Sibsagar, Akhil Gogoi faces a three-corner contest with Jayantha Hazarika of the BJP and Pradeep Hazarika of the AGP. AJP’s Lurinjyoti Gogoi and BJP’s Chakradhar Gogoi engaged in a direct fight in Khowang.AGP president and minister Atul Bora is locked in a triangular contest in Bokakhat with Raijor Dal’s Hari Prasad Saikia and former independent MP Jiten Gogoi. Meanwhile, Minister Keshav Mahanta faces Raijor Dal candidate Pradip Kumar Baruah in Kaliabor.Voting will be conducted at 31,490 polling stations in 35 districts from 7 am to 5 pm. Chief Electoral Officer Anurag Goel said webcasting facilities have been activated at all polling stations for real-time monitoring, while the Central Armed Police Force, including Central Reserve Police Force personnel, has been deployed to ensure security.A total of 2.5 billion voters are eligible to vote, including 1.25 billion female voters and 318 third gender voters. The electorate also includes 642,000 first-time voters, 250,000 voters aged 80 and over – including 2,466 centenarians – and 205,000 people with disabilities.Voting will be held in phases on Thursday and the results will be announced on May 4, when it will be revealed who will form the next government in Assam.
