'The BJP's tally may dip, but the NDA is likely to retain power.'
Prateek Bordoloi's withdrawal after his father's BJP switch underscores Congress' mounting challenges ahead of the Assam elections.
Total number of 722 candidates are in the fray for 126 seats.
Election affidavits in Assam have unveiled significant financial disparities among key candidates, with some declaring extensive assets, multiple bank accounts, and numerous vehicles, while others report more modest holdings.
The BJP is currently leading in eight out of the 13 seats in Assam's Barak Valley, while the Congress is ahead in the remaining five constituencies, according to the latest Election Commission data.
The outcome of the assembly elections will not only determine AIUDF's immediate relevance but could also shape its long-term role in Assam's political landscape.
In its list of 26 candidates for Thursday's assembly elections, 13 are from the Bengali-speaking Muslim community -- a demographic that was at the centre of the original Assam agitation.
The Assam Jatiya Parishad (AJP) has criticised Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma after its candidate, Kunki Chowdhury, was summoned by police in connection with an election-related case, alleging political harassment and misuse of power by the ruling BJP.
Prashant Kishor and Dr Jahnavi Das first met while working on a United Nations public health initiative.
Renowned conservation biologist Dr Bibhab Kumar Talukdar, founder of Assam's biodiversity organisation Aaranyak, has been elected as a Fellow of the Linnean Society of London (FLS), one of the highest international recognitions in natural history and biological sciences.
Police in Assam have detained seven people in connection with election-related violence in Tamulpur and Sivasagar. Minor clashes also erupted at several polling booths, resulting in minor injuries. Authorities are investigating the incidents and monitoring the situation to ensure uninterrupted polling.
The delimitation of constituencies, which aimed to reduce the influence of minority candidates, is a significant factor in the NDA's strong performance in the Assam elections, where they secured a record 102 seats. The 2023 delimitation exercise redrew constituencies, reserving some Muslim-majority seats for indigenous communities, which increased the BJP and its allies' seat count.
Mamata Banerjee accuses the BJP of importing voters for the Assam elections and plotting similar interference in West Bengal, raising concerns about electoral integrity and potential cultural restrictions.
Assam is set to hold elections for its 126-member assembly, with a direct contest expected between the BJP-led NDA and the Congress-led opposition. Key candidates and constituencies are in focus as the state prepares to vote.
Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma has refuted claims by the TMC that the BJP would ban meat and fish consumption if it wins the West Bengal assembly elections. Sarma clarified that only beef consumption is restricted in Assam and accused the TMC of wanting to continue cattle smuggling to Bangladesh for their own benefit.
The RSS has filed police complaints against Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge for allegedly comparing the organisation and the BJP to a 'poisonous snake' during an election rally in Assam.
The 2026 election appears to have reinforced a new political formula in Assam: Strong organisation, continuous grassroots engagement, effective alliance management and welfare-based voter outreach.
The Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) seized 524.9 kg of ganja worth approximately Rs 2.6 crore in Assam and arrested two individuals as part of increased operations before the upcoming Assembly elections in Assam and West Bengal.
An Assam Police team is questioning Congress leader Pawan Khera in Delhi regarding allegations against Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma and his family.
Himanta Biswa Sarma has been elected as the leader of the BJP-led NDA in the Assam assembly, paving the way for his second consecutive term as chief minister. The NDA secured a two-thirds majority in the recent assembly polls, with the BJP winning 82 seats and its allies AGP and BPF securing 10 seats each.
The BJP has appointed Amit Shah and JP Nadda as central observers for the election of legislative party leaders in West Bengal and Assam, respectively, following recent assembly poll victories.
Last time, assembly polls in West Bengal were held in eight phases -- by far the maximum. In Assam, elections were held in two phases, and in a singular phase in Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Puducherry.
'The BJP successfully merged governance with identity. That's a powerful combination in Assam's political context.'
The Assam Jatiya Parishad (AJP) has criticised Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma after its Guwahati Central candidate, Kunki Chowdhury, was summoned by police in connection with an election-related case. The AJP alleges the ruling BJP is using intimidation tactics due to Chowdhury's strong performance.
'They probably imagine any hue and cry in the event Sheikh Hasina is hanged will be shortlived as it happened when Bhutto was hanged in Pakistan in 1979.'
South India's manufacturing, construction, and services sectors are grappling with severe labour shortages, prompting employers to offer attractive incentives like free air tickets and salary increments to lure migrant workers back from their home states after recent assembly elections.
Exit polls predict a BJP victory in Assam and an edge in West Bengal, a DMK government in Tamil Nadu, and a Congress-led UDF comeback in Kerala.
'The real fault line in Assam is not Hindu versus Muslim. It is Assamese versus Bengali -- and within that, the specific anxiety about undocumented Bangladeshi settlers claiming land and altering the demographic balance of the state.'
If current trends persist, the Congress risks becoming increasingly regionally concentrated, dependent on a handful of states rather than functioning as a truly pan-India political force.
The opposition parties, including Congress, Raijor Dal and Trinamool Congress, opposed the move and demanded wider consultation with all the stakeholders before its introduction.
The newly elected BJP-led NDA government in Assam will be sworn in on May 12, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and other dignitaries expected to attend. Preparations are underway to ensure a smooth and secure ceremony.
Veteran BJP leader Hitendra Nath Goswami defeated Assam Congress president Gaurav Gogoi in Jorhat, securing his sixth term in the assembly. Goswami's grassroots campaign and extensive experience led to his victory.
The delimitation in Assam has quietly changed the political scene, raising questions about whether new constituency boundaries helped the BJP by spreading out Muslim-majority voters.
The Election Commission has ordered a repoll in a booth in Assam's Karimganj (North) constituency following clashes between BJP and Congress supporters during the recent assembly elections.
Recent assembly elections across several states in India saw exceptionally high voter participation, with women voters outnumbering men in turnout percentages, according to Election Commission data.
Assam Agriculture Minister Atul Bora of the AGP has won the Bokakhat assembly constituency for a third consecutive term, defeating Raijor Dal's Hari Prasad Saikia by a significant margin.
Former poll strategist Prashant Kishor made a stunning electoral debut by winning Bihar's Bankipur assembly seat, a long-held BJP bastion. Concurrently, the Congress retained the Datia assembly seat in Madhya Pradesh, while the BJP successfully held onto the Manjalpur seat in Gujarat, showcasing mixed results for the ruling and opposition parties in these crucial by-elections.
NDA partner Bodoland People's Front (BPF) is expected to secure a majority of the 15 Assembly seats in the Bodoland Territorial Region (BTR) of Assam, leading in 10 constituencies, according to Election Commission data. The BJP, a major partner in the ruling NDA, leads in three seats, while the UPPL and Congress are ahead in one seat each.
Three former Trinamool Congress Rajya Sabha MPs, including Sushmita Dev and Sukhendu Sekhar Ray, joined the Bharatiya Janata Party on Thursday and, within hours, were named the saffron party's candidates for the Rajya Sabha bypolls from West Bengal, underlining both their political rehabilitation and the party's calibrated shift in inducting leaders from the erstwhile ruling dispensation.
Opposition parties in Assam are questioning the state police's handling of the Zubeen Garg death case after a Singapore coroner ruled out foul play, contradicting the Assam police's murder charges against several accused. The conflicting findings have sparked controversy and calls for further investigation.
