Nearly 60% Voter Turnout in Assam Till 1 PM

Dispur: Amid cloudy skies and rain, people across Assam turned out in large numbers on Thursday to vote in the 2026 assembly elections to decide the electoral fate of 722 candidates. Till 1 pm, the northeastern state has logged 59.63% per cent turnout, according to the Election Commission of India.

A total electorate of around 2.5 crore, comprising 12,531,552 men, 12,522,593 women and 318 of the third gender, is exercising their franchise in 31,490 polling stations across all 126 assembly constituencies.

The ruling NDA’s main constituents are the BJP, Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) and the Bodo Peoples’ Front, while the opposition alliance comprises the Congress, Raijor Dal, Assam Jatiya Parishad, CPI(M), All Party Hill Leaders Conference and the CPI(ML).

The prominent candidates in fray are Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, Congress’s Gaurav Gogoi, AIUDF Chief Badruddin Ajmal, assembly Speaker Biswajit Daimary, leader of the opposition Debabrata Saikia, senior ministers Ranoj Pegu, Chandramohan Patowary, Atul Bora, Keshav Mahanta, Ajanta Neog, Ashok Singhal, Raijor Dal’s Chief Akhil Gogoi and AJP President Lurinjyoti Gogoi.

Opposition Alliance’s Raijor Dal is contesting in 13 seats, AJP in 10, CPI(M) in 3 and APHLC in 2, while the AAP is contesting in 18, UPPL in 18, TMC 22, JMM in 16 and 258 independents. Among the 722 candidates in fray, 59 are women, with the Congress having the highest at 99, followed by the BJP at 90, AIUDF 30, NDA allies AGP with 26 and BPF in 11 seats.

Thousands of police, CRPF and other paramilitary personnel have been deployed to ensure law enforcement in the state during the polls. On Monday, over 42,000 personnel marched across every police station area in Assam as part of a historic synchronised security drill. As for carrying out the elections, over 1.51 lakh personnel are managing the 31,490 polling stations in the northeastern state.

Voting began at 7 AM and will end at 6 PM. If a voter reaches the polling station before closing time and is in the queue, he or she will still be allowed to vote.

The 2023 Assam delimitation reshaped the state’s political map based on 2001 census data, keeping 126 Assembly and 14 Lok Sabha seats. It altered constituency boundaries significantly and increased seats in the Bodoland Territorial Region from 11 to 15.

BJP-led NDA retained power in 2021 with 75 seats, which marked the first time a non-INC alliance won consecutive terms in the state. The Mahajot led by INC won 50 seats, increasing its tally from 26 in 2016.The counting of votes and declaration of results is scheduled for May 4, 2026.