Congress leader Rahul Gandhi alleged on Monday (May 4, 2026) that Assam and West Bengal are clear cases of polls being “stolen” by the BJP with the support of the Election Commission of India (ECI).

Mr. Gandhi said his party agrees with Trinamool Congress (TMC) chief Mamata Banerjee that more than 100 seats were stolen in West Bengal.

Following the poll debacle, Congress Assam poll in-charge Bhanwar Jitendra Singh stepped down from his post, taking full responsibility for the party’s performance in the April 9 Assembly polls.

He wrote to the party president Mallikarjun Kharge on Monday (May 4) after BJP-led NDA secured a majority to form the government for the third straight term.

Sandeep Phukan

The Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) failed to open its account in Assam despite aggressively contesting 16 seats in the 126-member Assembly.

The party, however, said it secured a footprint in Assam, as two of its candidates emerged as runners-up and 14 others secured the third position.

Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren-led JMM secured 1.17% of the vote share till 8 pm, which is more than the vote share of CPI, CPI(M) and CPI(ML) Liberation combined, a party office-bearer said.

PTI

AIUDF chief Badruddin Ajmal won the Binnakandi Assembly constituency by defeating Assam Jatiya Parishad (AJP)’s Rejaul Karim Choudhury by a margin of 35,380 votes.

Mr. Ajmal polled 1,19,721 votes while Mr. Choudhury bagged 84,341 votes, ECI data showed.

The AIUDF president contested the Assembly polls for the second time since 2006. He had contested and won from two seats of South Salmara and Jamunamukh in 2006, vacating the latter for his brother Sirajuddin Ajmal’s favour.

PTI

Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Monday (May 4) congratulated people of Assam for “historic hat-trick mandate”, terming it a strong endorsement of the tireless efforts over the past 10 years by the NDA government under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to build a secure, peaceful, and progressive State.

“This boundless affection and cooperation are strengthening our resolve to deliver even better services to you and fulfil your hopes and aspirations,” he took to X.

This consistent third major victory for the NDA in Assam is a testament to the unwavering trust in the BJP’s ‘double engine’ government under the leadership of Prime Minister Modi and Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, which has transformed Assam from a land of unrest to a land of hope and development, Mr. Shah said.

PTI

As BJP-led NDA alliance secures its third straight term in Assam, CM Himanta Biswa Sarma won the Jalukbari seat for a record sixth consecutive term, ECI data showed.

He defeated Congress candidate Bidisha Neog by 89,434 votes.

The ruling NDA has secured majority by winning 70 seats, more than the halfway mark of 68 in the 126-member Assam Assembly, as the counting progresses in the State, according to the ECI data.

While the BJP won 58 seats, its allies - the Bodo Peoples’ Front (BPF) bagged seven and the Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) 5.

The BJP, AGP and BPF were leading in 20, five and three seats, respectively.

PTI

Assam BJP President Dilip Saikia described the party’s “third successive victory” in the Assembly polls as a testimony to the fulfilment of its 2021 election manifesto.

He asserted that the people gave a “mature mandate” as they compared the 55 years of the “Congress misrule” with the BJP-led NDA government’s 10-year good governance.

Mr. Saikia said the party received overwhelming support from all sections of society.

“BJP’s massive victory in Assam is a testimony to the fulfilment of the 2021 election manifesto. People saw that we tried to fulfil every promise with near perfection,” Mr. Saikia said.

PTI

With the ruling NDA poised all set to form the government in Assam for the third successive term, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said the State “blesses BJP-NDA once again”.

The majority mark to form government in the State is 64.

The Election Commission released trends for all 126 constituencies in the state, with the BJP leading in 80 while its alliance partners – the Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) and the Bodoland Peoples’ Front (BPF) – were ahead in nine and 10 seats, respectively.

Check out the full list of winners of the Assam Assembly election here:

BJP’s Pradyut Bordoloi, who switched over from the Congress ahead of the April 9 Assam polls, has won the prestigious Dispur constituency by 49,667 votes, the ECI said.

His opponents Mira Borthakur Goswami of the Congress finished behind with 53,670 votes, while Independent candidate Jayanta Kumar Das secured 22,802 votes.

The Election Commission of India (ECI) has, till 5.30 pm, announced the results of 39 of the 126 seats.

The ruling NDA won 37 seats and was leading in 65 constituencies in the 126-member Assembly as it looked to return to power for the third consecutive term in Assam.

The BJP won 30 seats and was ahead in 52 other constituencies, while its ally, the Bodoland People’s Front, bagged five seats and was leading in five. The other alliance partner, Asom Gana Parishad (AGP), clinched two seats and was ahead in eight, according to ECI.

Assam Finance Minister Ajanta Neog retained the Golaghat Assembly constituency for the sixth consecutive term, defeating Congress candidate Bitupan Saikia by 43,759 votes.

Ms. Neog polled 1,02,212 votes, while Mr. Saikia secured 58,453 votes.

She is the first woman finance minister of Assam and holds the distinction of being the longest-serving female legislator in the State since 2001 from Golaghat.

PTI

In Tangla, which was created during the 2023 delimitation, BJP’s Bikan Chandra Deka won by 54,601 votes. 

Mr. Deka polled 84,309 votes against his nearest rival Rohit Pariga of the Congress, who secured 29,708 votes, the ECI data showed

Assam Minister Pijush Hazarika has won the Jagiroad assembly seat, defeating the Congress nominee by 93,584 votes, according to the ECI data. He bagged 1,55,129 votes compared to Congress candidate Bubul Das’ 61,545 votes.

The BJP leader won from Jagiroad for three straight terms and became an MLA for the fourth time in a row.

Mr. Hazarika began his electoral journey in 2011 by winning the Raha seat, followed by successive victories from Jagiroad constituency in 2016, 2021 and 2026.

PTI

The ruling BJP won 11 seats and was ahead in 71 other constituencies, while its ally, the Bodoland People’s Front, bagged one seat and was leading in nine, according to the Election Commission.

The Congress was ahead in 19 seats, while BJP’s ally Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) was leading in nine constituencies.

The Badruddin Ajmal-led AIUDF won one seat and was leading in another constituency, while Akhil Gogoi-led Raijor Dal was ahead in two seats.

The Trinamool Congress was ahead in one seat, while an Independent candidate was also leading. 

-PTI

The ‘None of the Above’ or NOTA option has once again not found favour among voters, the Election Commission data on the result of polls to five Assemblies shows.

Except for Assam, the NOTA option has not crossed the one per cent mark.

In Assam, 1.29% of the voters pressed the NOTA button on electronic voting machines (EVMs). 

-PTI

Assam Congress president Gaurav Gogoi faced his first electoral defeat in his political career, losing to veteran BJP leader Hitendranath Goswami by 23,182 votes in the Jorhat Assembly constituency.

Mr. Gogoi, a three-time MP from the State, was poised to follow his illustrious father Tarun Gogoi’s political trajectory by returning to State politics after stints at the Centre, but the senior BJP leader played spoilsport. 

Mr. Gogoi polled 46,257 votes, while Mr. Goswami secured 69,439 votes, retaining the seat for a third consecutive term.

Mr. Gogoi’s entry into the Assembly fray followed his victory in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections from Jorhat by a comfortable margin, a result that had put the ruling BJP on the defensive, particularly Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, who had campaigned extensively against him. 

-PTI

BJP candidate Jiban Gogoi on Monday won the newly created Sissibargaon constituency in Assam by a margin of 40,593 votes, according to the Election Commission.

Mr. Gogoi, who contested the election for the first time, polled 75,758 votes. His nearest rival Dulal Chandra Boruah of the Raijor Dal bagged 35,165 votes, it added.

Sissibargaon constituency in Dhemaji district was created after the 2023 delimitation exercise. 

-PTI

The Assam BJP headquarters wore a festive look on Monday afternoon, with party workers erupting into celebrations, as the ruling NDA was leading in 98 out of 126 Assembly constituencies.

BJP workers carrying saffron flags beat drums, danced and smeared one another with gulal, amid chants of ‘Joi Aai Asom’ and ‘Bharat Mata Ki Jai’, at the Vajpayee Bhawan in Basistha on National Highway-27.

They also distributed sweets to passersby in front of the State BJP headquarters.

According to Election Commission data, the ruling NDA appeared to form the third consecutive government in Assam, leading in 98 assembly constituencies. The majority mark to form government is 64.

Assam BJP president Dilip Saikia offered prayers at the State party office here after the trends started coming in.

“This is a win for our pro-people work done by PM Narendra Modi and CM Himanta Biswa Sarma. It’s a victory of people... Today, I am crying, but these are tears of happiness,” BJP spokesperson Mita Nath Bora said. 

At the BJP office premises, a ‘Nagara Naam’ team was invited to perform, as party workers danced to the rhythm of the drums. 

-PTI

Assam Congress president Gaurav Gogoi lost from Jorhat as BJP’s Hitendra Nath Goswami won against him by a margin of 23,182 votes. 

A three-time Lok Sabha MP — twice from the delimitation-devoured Kaliabor and once from Jorhat — he was the chief ministerial face of the Congress-led six-party Opposition alliance. 

The ruling party also registered wins in Dhemaji and Sissibargaon. 

BJP candidate Dr. Ranoj Pegu wins Dhemaji by a margin of 32,229 votes. 

Mr. Pegu polled a total of 83,649 votes against Congress’ Sailen Sonowal (51,420 votes). 

NDA gets its first win, as Charan Boro from Bodoland Peoples Front (BOPF) won the Mozbat seat. 

Mr. Boro won by a margin of 55,546 against Jharkhand Mukti Morcha’s Priti Rekha Barla. INC’s Narayan Adhikar came third, ECI data shows. 

Assam Congress chief Gaurav Gogoi was trailing behind his nearest rival Hitendranath Goswami of the BJP in Jorhat Assembly constituency, the Election Commission said.

Mr. Gogoi is making his electoral debut in the Assembly polls, while Mr. Goswami, a five-term MLA who has represented the constituency thrice as an AGP leader and twice as a BJP legislator, is seeking a third consecutive term.

The Deputy Leader of the Lok Sabha had won the Jorhat Lok Sabha seat in 2024 by defeating the BJP’s Topon Kumar Gogoi by 1,44,393 votes. 

-PTI

The ruling NDA appears all set to form the government in Assam for the third successive term, leading in 99 out of 126 Assembly constituencies.

The majority mark to form government in the State is 64.

The Election Commission released trends for all 126 constituencies in the State, with the BJP leading in 80 while its alliance partners – the Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) and the Bodoland Peoples’ Front (BPF) – were ahead in nine and 10 seats, respectively.

The Congress was leading in 23 seats, while its ally, the Raijor Dal in two seats, according to the EC.

Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma was leading in Jalukbari constituency, and State Congress president Gaurav Gogoi was trailing his BJP rival Hitendranath Goswami in Jorhat.

-PTI

NDA partner Bodoland People’s Front (BPF) is likely to bag a majority of the 15 Assembly seats in the Bodoland Territorial Region (BTR) of Assam, with the regional party leading in 10 constituencies, as per Election Commission data.

The BJP, the major partner of the ruling NDA which is seeking a third straight term in the State, has its candidates in the lead in three seats.

The United People’s Party Liberal (UPPL), which had been in power in the Bodoland Territorial Council (BTC) for a single term of five years before being ousted by the BPF in 2025, is leading in one seat, as per the latest EC data.

The Congress is also in the lead in one seat in the BTR.

The BTC, an autonomous body under the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution, administers Kokrajhar, Chirang, Baksa, Udalguri and Tamulpur districts.

The BPF fielded candidates in 11 of the 15 BTC constituencies, leaving the remaining for BJP. The UPPL had nominees in all the BTC seats.

-PTI

According to the data from the ECI, trends show a clear lead for the BJP+ parties in the State, with the saffron party leading over the Congress-led Opposition. 

Going by trends up to the counting round 14, the BJP is heading for a sweep in the northern and eastern parts of Assam, the three tribal council areas (BTC, KAAC, NCHAC), and Barak Valley. 

-Rahul Karmakar

The ruling NDA was leading in 97 seats in Assam while the Congress was ahead in 24 constituencies, according to the Election Commission. 

Here is an image of number of seats/alliances leading in the State. 

BJP candidate Pradyut Bordoloi, a Congress MP who had joined the saffron party just before the Assam Assembly elections, is leading in the crucial Dispur constituency, according to the Election Commission data.

A Congressman for over five decades, Mr. Bordoloi had joined the BJP in mid-March this year, less than a month before the April 9 elections.

Independent candidate Jayanta Kumar Das is placed in the third position. 

-PTI

Leader of the Opposition in the outgoing Assam Assembly Debabrata Saikia is trailing behind BJP’s Mayur Borgohain in the Nazira constituency as counting of votes for the State polls progressed on Monday.

According to the Election Commission website, Saikia polled 13,661 votes after the fourth round of counting, while Borgohain got 22536 votes.

Mr. Saikia has represented the constituency since 2011 and won the last polls by a slender margin of less than 500 votes.

Nazira is considered Mr. Saikia’s family stronghold, represented by his father and former Chief Minister Hiteswar Saikia and his mother Hemoprava Saikia.

-PTI

Raijor Dal president Akhil Gogoi is trailing his BJP rival Kushal Dowari in Assam’s Sibsagar Assembly constituency, according to the Election Commission.

Mr. Gogoi had represented the constituency as an independent in the outgoing Assembly.

Mr. Gogoi had won the 2021 Assembly polls from jail, after he was booked for sedition during protests against the Citizen Amendment Act in December 2019. 

-PTI

Most of the ministers in the outgoing BJP-led Assam government are in the lead, as per trends shared by the Election Commission.

Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) president and Agriculture Minister Atul Bora is leading from Bokakhat constituency over his nearest Raijor Dal candidate Hari Prasad Saikia. 

Among other Ministers in the outgoing government in the lead is Chandra Mohan Patowary from the Tihu seat, against he Congress’ Ratul Patowary. Mr. Patowary is the incumbent MLA from the Dharmapur constituency, which was abolished during the delimitation process.

AGP leader and Minister Keshab Mahanta is leading over his nearest rival Jiten Gour, an Independent candidate. Another Minister Ranjeet Kumar Dass of the BJP is in the lead in Bhowanipur-Sorbhog after the fourth round of counting.

Finance minister Ajanta Neog is leading from her Golaghat constituency. Her nearest rival is the Congress’ Bitupan Saikia.

In Jagiroad constituency, Cabinet Minister Pijush Hazarika (BJP) is leading over Congress’ Bubul Das at the end of the fifth round of counting, out of the total 24 rounds.

His Cabinet colleague Ashok Singhal (BJP) is in the lead in Dhekiajuli seat against the Congress candidate, Batash Orang, at the end of the first round of counting.

Minister Ranoj Pegu (BJP) is also leading in Dhemaji constituency over Congress’ Sailen Sonowal after six rounds of counting.

However, Cabinet Minister Nandita Garolosa, who switched to Congress after being denied the BJP ticket from Haflong, is trailing, as per EC data.

-PTI

According to ECI data, initial rounds are completed for all 126 seats in State, even as the NDA has established a clear lead over the Congress-led Opposition. 

Here are the leading and trailing candidates for Assam:

Two Assam heavyweights are trailing, early trends show. Congress leader of Opposition Debabrata Saikia in Nazira, held by his family since 1972, barring a 7-year gap; and BJP’s Rajdeep Roy in Silchar are trailing. 

-Rahul Karmakar

All major opposition leaders in Assam, including Leader of the Opposition Debabrata Saikia, Akhil Gogoi, Lurinjyoti Gogoi, Jagadish Bhuyan and Rajen Gohain, were trailing in their respective constituencies, according to Election Commission data on Monday. 

Raijor Dal president and MLA Akhil Gogoi, contesting to retain the Sibsagar seat, was trailing after the first round. 

Assam Jatiya Parishad (AJP) president Lurinjyoti Gogoi was also trailing his nearest rival from the BJP. 

Former Union Minister Rajen Gohain of the BJP, who joined the AJP before the polls, is lagging behind BJP MLA Jitu Goswami. 

-PTI

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma has established a lead over his nearest Congress rival Bidisha Neog in the BJP leader’s attempt to retain the Jalukbari constituency for the sixth consecutive term, EC data said. 

The BJP leader had failed to win his first poll from the constituency in 1996, but his winning streak continued from 2001, with his victory margin increasing in each poll, achieving a record winning margin of 1,01,000 in 2021. 

-PTI

Among those trailing after the initial rounds are Assam Congress president Gaurav Gogoi (Jorhat), Raijor Dal chief Akhil Gogoi (Sibsagar), and Assam Jatiya Parishad president Lurinjyoti Gogoi (Khowang). 

The alliance has been dubbed the “Three-Gogoi Group”. 

Assam Congress president Gaurav Gogoi was trailing behind his BJP rival Hitendranath Goswami in Jorhat Assembly constituency, EC officials said on Monday.

Mr. Gogoi is making his electoral debut in Assembly polls, while Mr. Goswami, a five-time MLA who has represented the constituency thrice as an AGP leader and twice as a BJP legislator, is seeking a third consecutive term. 

-PTI

BJP leader Bhupen Kumar Borah leads in Bihpuria, against the Congress candidate Narayan Bhuyan. 

Mr. Borah joined the ruling BJP ahead of the polls in the State. A former Congress leader, he said he was unhappy with how the Congress was being led in Assam. 

The ruling NDA was leading in 93 seats in Assam while the Congress was ahead in 23 constituencies, according to the Election Commission. 

The EC has released trends for 121 of the 126 constituencies in the State, with the BJP leading in 74 while its alliance partners, the Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) and the Bodoland Peoples’ Front (BPF) ahead in 10 and nine seats, respectively. 

The Congress was leading in 23 seats, while its ally, the Raijor Dal in one seat, according to the EC. 

The AIUDF was also leading in two seats, the CPI(M) and Jharkhand Mukti Morcha in one constituency each. 

Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma was leading in Jalukbari constituency while State Congress president Gaurav Gogoi was trailing behind his BJP rival Hitendranath Goswami in Jorhat. 

AJP president Lurinjyoti Gogoi was also ahead in Khowang, while Raijor Dal president Akhil Gogoi was leading in Sibsagar which he represented as an Independent in the outgoing Assembly.

NDA’s alliance partner AGP’s president Atul Bora and working president Keshab Mahanta, both Ministers in Mr. Sarma’s Cabinet, were leading in Bokakhat and Kaliabor, respectively.

Former senior Congress leaders Pradyut Bordoloi and Bhupen Borah, who joined the BJP ahead of the polls, were leading in Dispur and Bihpuria constituencies, respectively.

Ministers Ranoj Pegu, Pijush Hazarika, Ashok Singhal, Prashanta Phukan and Bimal Borah have also established leads in their respective constituencies of Dhemaji, Jagiroad, Dhekiajuli, Dibrugarh and Tingkhong. 

-PTI

ECI data shows Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma leading from Jalukbari. The seat has sent Mr. Sarma to the ​Assam Assembly​ without fail since 2001. 

The Chief Minister is up against two other candidates, Bidisha Neog of the Congress and Dipika Das of the Bhumi Adhikar Party, contesting as an Independent. 

ECI’s data shows BJP’s Pradyut Bordolai leading in Dispur. 

After Mr. Bordolai resigned from the Congress party ahead of polls in the State and joined the BJP, the party fielded him from the Dispur seat. 

Others in the fray include independent candidate Jayanta Kumar Das and Congress’ Mira Borthakur Goswami. 

Dispur is one of the 10 Assembly segments under the Guwahati Lok Sabha constituency.

ECI’s data shows BJP leading in 52 seats in Assam. The Congress is leading in 15 seats. 

Both alliances are gung-ho about bagging at least 64 seats, the simple majority mark in the 126-member Assembly. 

On the early trends, Assam Congress president Gaurav Gogoi says, “This is just the beginning, we will see how the counting is going on in the entire State, and we will keep an eye on every vote being counted properly in every round.”

Mr. Gogoi is representing the Jorhat seat. According to the data from the ECI, BJP’S Hitendra Nath Goswami is leading in Assam against Mr. Gogoi. 

According to the data from ECI, the BJP is leading from 29 seats and the Congress in seven. 

Bodoland Peoples Front, Asom Gana Parishad, Assam Jatiya Parishad and All India United Democratic Front are leading in five, three, two and one respectively. 

BJP’s Hitendra Nath Goswami leads in Jorhat. 

The Congress fielded State party president Gaurav Gogoi from the seat. 

A three-time Lok Sabha MP — twice from the delimitation-devoured Kaliabor and once from Jorhat — he is the chief ministerial face of the Congress-led six-party Opposition alliance. The alliance has been dubbed the “Three-Gogoi Group”, the others being Raijor Dal president Akhil Gogoi and his Assam Jatiya Parishad counterpart Lurinjyoti Gogoi. 

BJP’s Mr. Goswami, however has won from Jorhat in 2016 and 2021. 

Early trends by the ECI show BJP leading in 14 seats and Congress in two. 

The Congress is leading in Pakabetbari, Mangaldai. 

The Bodoland Peoples, the Assam Jatiya Parishad and the Asom Gana Parishad are leading in one each. 

BJP is leading in two seats and Congress in one, based on the early trends. The seats are Tingkhong, Golaghat and Pakabetbari. 

Ajanta Neog is the BJP candidate from Golaghat. She is the present Finance Minister in the State Cabinet. 

Congress candidate from Demow constituency, Ajoy Kumar Gogoi, on Monday expressed optimism ahead of the election results, stating that the outcome would reflect the aspirations of the people and party workers, and voiced hope that the Congress would form the next government in the State. 

Mr. Gogoi said, “We hope the results will be in line with what the public and the party workers wanted. We hope a Congress government will be formed.” 

-ANI

BJP candidate from Guwahati Central Assembly constituency Vijay Gupta on Monday expressed strong confidence in the party’s prospects as counting for the Assam Assembly Elections 2026 began across the State. 

Mr. Gupta said, “The Bharatiya Janata Party is confident that its government is going to be formed for the third time, and all its candidates will win by a very good margin. And for that, I want to thank PM Narendra Modi and CM Himanta Biswa Sarma.”

-ANI

Counting is being held at 40 centres across all 35 districts, with most districts having a single centre covering all constituencies.

However, in Nagaon district, counting is being conducted at three separate centres, while Kokrajhar, Tinsukia and Jorhat have two centres each. 

-PTI

Raijor Dal president and candidate from Sivasagar constituency, Akhil Gogoi, says, “I would like to hope that the Opposition parties will form the government. With 70-plus seats, we will form the government, and we will own the game.”

Mr. Gogoi has contested from Sivasagar, a seat he won in the last polls while still in prison on sedition charges for allegedly instigating violence during the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) protests.

The Opposition alliance now comprises six parties — Congress, Raijor Dal, Assam Jatiya Parishad (AJP), CPI(M), All Party Hill Leaders Conference (APHLC) and the CPI(ML).

Pradyut Bordoloi, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) candidate from Dispur Assembly constituency, on Monday expressed confidence over the party’s prospects, claiming that Assam will have a “BJP-led government” ahead of the counting of votes for the Assam Assembly Elections 2026. 

Speaking to ANI, Mr. Bordoloi said, “You can feel it throughout Assam that people have voted overwhelmingly for the BJP and BJP-led NDA. I’m sure that by evening today, the people of Assam will have given a very firm mandate that there’ll be a successive BJP-led government and Himanta Biswa Sarma will be the Chief Minister again.”

It’s interesting to note that Mr. Bordolai recently joined the BJP ahead of the elections in the State, after resigning from the Congress party. 

Mr. Bordoloi also headed the Congress manifesto committee for the elections. 

The high-profile candidates include Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, State Congress president Gaurav Gogoi, Assembly Speaker Biswajit Daimary, Leader of the Opposition Debabrata Saikia, AIUDF chief Badruddin Ajmal, Raijor Dal chief and sitting MLA Akhil Gogoi, and Assam Jatiya Parishad (AJP) president Lurinjyoti Gogoi. 

Several Cabinet Ministers, including AGP’s Atul Bora and Keshav Mahanta, and BPF’s Charan Boro, are also in the fray. 

Among the 722 candidates, Congress has the highest number at 99, followed by BJP at 90, and AIUDF at 30. NDA allies AGP has 26 nominees, while BPF has 11.

Raijor Dal is contesting in 13 seats, AJP in 10, CPI(M) in three, APHLC in two, AAP and UPPL in 18 each, TMC in 22, JMM in 16, while there are also 258 Independent nominees.

-PTI

Counting of votes for Assam’s 126 Assembly constituencies begin. 

According to the Conduct of Election Rules, postal ballots will be counted first and the process of counting of votes recorded in electronic voting machines (EVMs) begin 30 minutes later. 

The fate of candidates in all 126 constituencies across 35 districts of the State to be decided today. 

The BJP eyes third term, and Congress-led Opposition alliance seeks to wrest power.

Security has been tightened across Assam, including areas bordering Bangladesh, as the counting of votes for 126 Assembly seats is about to begin on Monday morning, officials said.

Twenty-five companies of Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) have been deployed to guard the counting centres and the strongrooms, housing the electronic voting machines (EVMs). 

The authorities have deployed 800 more unarmed police personnel to move the EVMs from strongrooms to the counting centres. 

-PTI

The Election Commission of India (ECI) on Sunday (May 3, 2026) said it would uphold the “highest standards of transparency, security and efficiency” during the counting of votes on Monday (May 4, 2026) for the elections to the Assemblies of Assam, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal and Puducherry and the bye-elections in seven Assembly constituencies of five States.

In Assam, the Congress-led front of six parties hopes to shed the Opposition tag by preventing the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) from scoring a hat-trick of wins. Both alliances are gung-ho about bagging at least 64 seats, the simple majority mark in the 126-member Assembly. 

Read more here

Journalists are seldom the main actors in a poll drama. Assam’s 2026 mandate has brought one of them, killed 35 years ago, to the fore.

The electoral fate of several former journalists will be decided on results day, including Panchayat and Rural Development Minister Ranjeet Kumar Dass of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), contesting from Bhowanipur-Sorbhog, and former MP Abdul Khaleque, the Congress candidate from Mandia.

However, none has drawn as much attention as Kamala Saikia, a teacher-journalist from Sivasagar. He was killed in August 1991 by the banned United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA), four years after the group murdered journalist Punarmal Agarawal in Kampur.

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Altogether 722 candidates, including 59 women, contested the April 9 election. 

Apart from Himanta Sarma and Gaurav Gogoi, in the fray are Ministers Pijush Hazarika, Jayanta Malla Baruah, Ashok Singhal, and Ranoj Pegu (BJP), Debabrata Saikia (Congress), All India United Democratic Front (AIUDF) chief Maulana Badruddin Ajmal, Raijor Dal president Akhil Gogoi, Asom Gana Parishad president Atul Bora, Assam Jatiya Parishad president Lurinjyoti Gogoi and United People’s Party Liberal (UPPL) president Pramod Boro.

The AIUDF and UPPL have not aligned with either the BJP or Congress in the elections.

The Congress has fielded the most candidates at 99, followed by the BJP (90), the AIUDF (30), the AGP (26), and the UPPL (19).

Assam has a total of 2,50,54,463 voters — 1,25,31,552 males, 1,25,22,593 females, and 318 transgender.

The verdict in Assam is expected to impact the other northeastern States going to the polls in the next few years. The BJP’s dream of putting the eight-State region, once considered its “final frontier”, on the saffron map began when it won the Assam election in 2016, ending 15 years of Congress rule.

The BJP gradually came to power, mostly in alliance with regional players, in Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur, Meghalaya, Nagaland, and Tripura. Polls in ethnic conflict-hit Manipur are due in 2027, while Meghalaya, Nagaland, and Tripura vote in 2028.

The Congress-led front of six parties hopes to shed the Opposition tag by preventing the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) from scoring a hat-trick of wins after the April 9 Assam election results are declared on Monday (May 4, 2026).

Both alliances are gung-ho about bagging at least 64 seats, the simple majority mark in the 126-member Assembly. While the Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma-helmed BJP has predicted close to 100 seats for the NDA, the Gaurav Gogoi-steered Congress is confident of a similar number for the Asom Sonmilito Morcha (ASM) to return to power after 10 years.

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The battle for the votes of the ‘tea tribes’ has animated the ​Assam Assembly election​ campaign as it enters the home stretch. The seven-million-strong community, including Adivasis who were brought by British planters from central India as well as those no longer associated with tea plantations, account for almost 20% of the voters in the State. The demand for Scheduled Tribe status for the OBC community has become the talking point, heightened by the visits of Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren to constituencies with tea tribe concentration.

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A huge hoarding of ‘ Akou ebar BJP sorkar’ (BJP government once more) greets visitors as they emerge from the Lokapriya Gopinath Bordoloi International Airport in Assam’s Guwahati. However, there’s little else giving away the fact that it’s election season here, barring an odd party flag or empty booth. The road to the city is festooned with more welcome messages, flags and posters for Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah during one of their numerous visits to inaugurate some project or lay the foundation stone for another — a hallmark of the BJP’s signature style ‘permanent campaign’. There’s a cartographic change, this time, though.

With Assam set to vote on April 9, for its 126-member Assembly, in a contest between the incumbent Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Congress, an indicators-based analysis reveals that the State lags behind others in India in key areas such as health, education, and human development.

Assam’s Karbi Anglong district administration lodged a police complaint on Thursday (April 9, 2026) regarding a video shared on social media purportedly showing the voting process inside a polling station, officials said.

Assam witnessed its highest-ever voter turnout in Assembly elections on Thursday (April 9, 2026), with 85.9% polling recorded as of 11:56 p.m., according to the ECINet app.

In Assam, the bulk of the State’s 2.5 crore voters have sealed the fate of 722 candidates, including 59 women. Officials said voting was largely peaceful, despite reports of violence in a few constituencies, including Khowang and Tamulpur, and allegations of proxy voting at a booth in the Guwahati Central constituency.

Approximately 15.93 crore people have voted across Kerala, Puducherry, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, and Assam, with Bengal recording a voter turnout of 92.47%, its highest since India’s independence. 

The Election Commission of India (ECI) on Sunday (May 3, 2026) said it would uphold the “highest standards of transparency, security and efficiency” during the counting of votes on Monday (May 4, 2026) for the elections to the Assemblies of Assam, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal and Puducherry and the bye-elections in seven Assembly constituencies of five States.

In Assam, the Congress-led front of six parties hopes to shed the Opposition tag by preventing the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) from scoring a hat-trick of wins.

Both alliances are gung-ho about bagging at least 64 seats, the simple majority mark in the 126-member Assembly. While the Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma-helmed BJP has predicted close to 100 seats for the NDA, the Gaurav Gogoi-steered Congress is confident of a similar number for the Asom Sonmilito Morcha (ASM) to return to power after 10 years.