Assam polls: Congress names 23 in second list, leaves 15 seats for allies

Congress announces 23 more candidates in its second list for the 126-seat Assam Assembly polls, leaving 15 seats for allies; Raijor Dal releases its second list with two names

Published on: Mar 15, 2026, 09:38:56 IST

By Utpal Parashar, Guwahati

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The two main opposition parties in Assam — Indian National Congress and the regional Raijor Dal — on Sunday released their second lists of candidates for the upcoming Assembly elections, after their alliance talks collapsing earlier.

The Congress, which had released the names of 42 candidates on March 3, announced 23 more in its second list issued late on Saturday. (AP File Photo)

The Congress, which had released the names of 42 candidates on March 3, announced 23 more in its second list issued late on Saturday, taking the total to 65 for the 126-member Assembly. The party had earlier said it would contest 100 seats.

The Congress left 15 seats in its second list for its allies — Assam Jatiya Parishad (AJP), Communist Party of India (Marxist) (CPI-M) and All Party Hill Leaders Conference (APHLC).

The second list includes the names of sitting MLAs — Rekibuddin Ahmed (Chamaria), Wazed Ali Choudhury (Birsing Jarua) and Abul Kalam Rasheed Alam (Goalpara East) — as well as former Lok Sabha MP Abdul Khaleque from the Mandia seat.

The Raijor Dal, which had announced the names of 11 candidates in its first list on March 4, named two more candidates in its second list for the Naoboicha and Dhemaji seats released on Saturday.

The party had several rounds of talks with the Congress to forge an alliance of like-minded parties against the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party and its allies. But the talks failed over seat-sharing disagreements between the two parties.

This will be the first Assembly election in Assam after the delimitation exercise of 2023, which saw large-scale redrawing and renaming of many constituencies but did not change the total number of seats.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Utpal Parashar
A seasoned senior journalist, I have nearly three decades of experience across print, digital, and online platforms, covering political transitions, insurgencies, environmental issues, and development stories in India and Nepal. I am skilled in breaking news, leading editorial teams and launch of newspaper editions. I am adept at leveraging digital trends and social media to expand global reach, with a strong ethical foundation and a reputation for impactful journalism. An alumnus of Asian College of Journalism, I joined Hindustan Times in New Delhi as a trainee reporter in May 1997. Over the years, I have been posted in Dehradun, Kathmandu (Nepal) and Guwahati. Currently, as Senior Assistant Editor at Hindustan Times, I lead a team reporting on India’s northeastern states. My work involves in-depth analysis, and engaging multimedia storytelling across formats, including text, photo, video, and interactive content. I am skilled in producing timely, shareable content, leveraging digital platforms and social media to engage global audiences. Throughout my career with the Hindustan Times, I have led diverse editorial teams, designed capacity-building activities, and supported reporters in developing strong story ideas, ethical reporting practices, digital skills, and fact-checking techniques. As Senior Assistant Editor for Northeast India, I have been responsible for guiding correspondents through complex political, humanitarian, and community-level stories using multimedia formats. Earlier, as Foreign Correspondent in Nepal, I produced extensive reporting during Nepal’s democratic transition and the 2015 earthquake and its aftermath.Read More

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