Assam Elections 2026: Dates, 7 key battles, and what's at stake in BJP vs Congress battle

Assam Assembly elections are scheduled for 9 April. Today, 7 April, is the last day of campaigning for the 126 seats of Assam.

As many as 2.49 crore voters are eligible to vote on Thursday. Throughout the high-octane campaign, parties are pushing hard to consolidate support in both traditional strongholds and emerging battlegrounds.

Assam has been under BJP rule since 2016. Sarbananda Sonowal, now a Union Minister, ran it first till 2021. Then Himanta Biswa Sarma took over.

The Congress-led alliance, known as the Asom Sonmilito Morcha (ASM) comprises Raijor Dal, Assam Jatiya Parishad (AJP), Communist Party of India (Marxist) (CPI(M)), Communist Party of India (Marxist-Leninist) Liberation (CPI(ML) Liberation), and the All Party Hill Leaders Conference, among others.

Assam has never had three consecutive terms for one party.

All battles are high-stakes. But some fights stand out. These are usually seats where heavyweights are in the fray, margins have historically been narrow, or local dynamics could tilt the balance in a tightly fought election.

Here is a list of the top high-profile fights in Assam on 9 April:

1-Jalukbari in Lower Assam

The Jalukbari seat is often regarded as one of Assam’s most prestigious constituencies. BJP leader and Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma is seeking a sixth consecutive term from this seat.

Sarma, has represented the seat since 2001, first with the Congress and later with the BJP. He won the seat in 2021, with a margin of over one lakh votes.

The Congress has fielded Bidisha Neog, while Independent candidate Dipika Das is also in the fray on 9 April at this seat. Both are up against Sarma’s strong personal connect with voters and the BJP’s organisational machinery.

2- Jorhat in Upper Assam

Jorhat is another politically crucial seat of Assam. Five-time MLA Hitendra Nath Goswami of the BJP takes on Assam Congress chief and local MP Gaurav Gogoi from the seat. Gogoi is making his Assembly election debut from the seat.

The constituency has been held by the BJP since 2016. Goswami won the 2021 Assembly election by bagging 68,000 votes and defeating the Congress party’s Rana Goswami.

However, the 2024 Lok Sabha elections indicated a shift in momentum, with Gogoi taking a lead of 12,130 votes in this assembly segment, polling 60,697 votes against BJP candidate Tapan Kumar Gogoi.

3- Sivasagar

Another key battle to watch out for is the Sivasagar constituency, where a triangular contest between regional politics and the BJP-led alliance’s electoral machinery is at play.

At the centre is Raijor Dal chief Akhil Gogoi, who sprang a major upset in 2021 by winning the seat from jail as an Independent candidate with 57,219 votes. Raijor Dal is a Congress ally.

In 2026 polls, the BJP has fielded Kushal Dowari from the seat while ally Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) has nominated veteran Prodip Hazarika, resulting in a rare “friendly contest” within the National Democratic Alliance (NDA).

Before Akhil, Pranab Gogoi of the Congress won the seat in 2001, 2006, 2011 and 2016 polls.

4- Bihpuria

The Bihpuria constituency was in the news when former Assam Congress president Bhupen Kumar Borah joined the BJP and was fielded as its candidate from here. The candidature set up Borah in a direct contest against his former party. The Congress has fielded Narayan (Ram) Bhuyan, who has been actively campaigning in the seat.

Bihpuria has thrown up decisive outcomes in the past. In 2016, BJP’s Debananda Hazarika won by over 26,000 votes. In 2021, however, the margin narrowed, with sitting MLA Amiya Kumar Bhuyan of the BJP securing 58,979 votes to defeat Congress party’s Borah by over 10,000 votes.

5- Capital Dispur

The Dispur seat is another high-profile contest in 2026.

Pradyut Bordoloi, who recently switched from the Congress to the BJP, is the saffron party candidate. Congress has fielded Mira Borthakur Goswami, turning the contest into a symbolic battle of political crossovers.

Jayanta Kumar Das, a senior BJP leader, is contesting as an Independent candidate after being denied a ticket. Located as a suburb of the largest city, Guwahati, Dispur is also the capital of Assam.

BJP's Atul Bora won the seat in 2016 and 2021. Prior to 2016, Congress had held the seat since 2001.

6- Guwahati Central

Guwahati Central is another key constituency among the 126 seats of Assam. BJP veteran Vijay Kumar Gupta is up against 27- year-old Assam Jatiya Parishad (AJP) candidate Kunki Chowdhury, in this seat.

Gupta brings organisational experience focusing on infrastructure and economic development. Chowdhury, on the other hand, is positioning herself as a voice of young, urban voters, emphasising education, employment and regional identity, according to Assam Tribune.

The presence of multiple candidates, including those from the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and TMC, has turned it into a fragmented contest among nearly two lakh urban voters.

7- Tamulpur in Lower Assam

The Tamulpur seat in Baksa district is considered one of the most politically volatile seats in Lower Assam. The verdict in this seat is often driven by shifting alliance dynamics in the Bodoland Territorial Region.

For the 9 April polling, three main contenders are in the fray. These are BJP’s Biswajit Daimary, United People’s Party Liberal (UPPL) chief Pramod Boro, and Congress-backed Rafie Daimary.

This year, former NDA allies BJP and UPPL are contesting against each other following a fallout over seat-sharing. The Bodoland People’s Front (BPF) has, however, aligned with the BJP-led NDA, reshaping the political landscape. The seat, now reserved for Scheduled Tribes (ST) after delimitation, has over 2.13 lakh voters and has historically witnessed strong regional party influence.

In 2021, UPPL's Jolen Daimary defeated independent candidate Ganesh Kochari by over 50,000 votes.