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Assam assembly polls 2026: With a day left for nominations, all eyes on ‘rebels’
Some aspirants have resigned across both ruling and opposition parties, while others have issued ultimatums.
Mounting rebellion among ticket aspirants has put political parties on edge in Assam, just days before the deadline for filing nominations for next month’s single-phase Assembly elections.
Polling for all 126 assembly constituencies will be held on April 9. With Saturday a holiday for Id-ul-Fitr and a few nominations expected on Sunday, most candidates are likely to file their papers on the final day.
Some aspirants have resigned across both ruling and opposition parties, while others have issued ultimatums, and several are awaiting last-minute decisions by party leadership.
One such leader is Atul Bora, the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MLA from Dispur in Guwahati, who has represented the constituency twice. He was denied a ticket this time, with the party nominating Pradyut Bordoloi, a Congress leader who joined the BJP earlier this week.
With Bora threatening to contest as an Independent or back the Congress candidate, Mira Borthakur, chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma visited his residence on Friday night.
“Bora’s name for the ticket was certain, but with the sudden induction of Bordoloi, the equations changed. I am sure he (Bora) will support the party candidate and also get involved in campaigning,” Sarma said after the meeting.
Bora, however, did not disclose his plans, saying he had conveyed his grievances to the chief minister and would decide on Sunday whether to contest as an Independent.
The BJP’s concerns may persist even if Bora steps aside, as another aspirant from the same seat, Jayanta Das, has resigned from the party and plans to contest as an Independent, potentially affecting Bordoloi’s prospects.
The chief minister undertook a similar outreach effort on Saturday after Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) MLA Ramendra Narayan Kalita expressed dissatisfaction over the Central Guwahati seat being allotted to the BJP instead of the ally.
Under the seat-sharing arrangement between the BJP and AGP, the constituency — earlier known as West Guwahati before the 2023 delimitation — was assigned to the BJP, leaving Kalita without a ticket.
“As Kalita didn’t get the ticket due to adjustment, it’s natural for him and his supporters to feel frustrated. We need to assure them that their interests would be protected,” Sarma said after meeting him.
“The CM explained the situation to me. Whether or not I file my candidature as an Independent will be decided following a meeting with party workers on Sunday,” Kalita said.
If Kalita, a veteran with nearly four decades of electoral experience, decides to contest, it could impact the prospects of BJP candidate Vijay Gupta, who is contesting for the first time.
Another BJP leader, sitting MLA Amiya Kumar Bhuyan from Bihpuria, is also disgruntled after the ticket was given to former Congress state president Bhupen Kumar Borah, who joined the party last month. Bhuyan is planning to contest as an Independent.
BJP leader Kushal Dowari has similarly threatened to contest independently from Sibsagar after the seat was allotted to AGP. The seat is currently held by Raijor Dal president Akhil Gogoi.
The Congress-led opposition alliance is facing similar challenges. Bhaskar Baruah, the Congress MLA from Titabar, has threatened to contest as an Independent after being denied a ticket in favour of Pran Kurmi.
In Mandia, Congress MLA Sherman Ali Ahmed, who joined Raijor Dal as part of the Congress-led alliance last month, switched sides again on Sunday after receiving a ticket from the Trinamool Congress.
On Saturday, he had threatened to contest as an Independent after the seat was not allocated to Raijor Dal in its arrangement with Congress. “On Monday, I along with my supporters of Raijor Dal will resign from the party. I have taken this decision as asked by my supporters,” Ahmed said.
