EC announces schedule for Assam assembly elections: Polling to be held on March 27, April 1, April 6; result on May 2
In the 2016 assembly elections, the BJP and its allies swept to power as they won 86 of the state’s 126 assembly constituencies.
Voting for Assam's assembly election will be held in three phases as per CEC Sunil Arora. Polling for the first phase will be held on March 27, second phase on April 1 and third phase on April 6. The counting for all phases will take place on May 2.
Phase one will see polling for 47 constituencies. The issue of notification is scheduled to be on March 2. The last date of nominations is March 9 and the scrutiny of nominations will take place on March 10. The last date of withdrawal of candidature has been set as March 12.
The second phase will see polling for 39 constituencies. The issue of notification is scheduled to be on March 5. The last date of nominations for this phase has been set as March 12 with the scrutiny of nominations scheduled to be held on March 15. The last day of withdrawing candidature is March 17.
The third phase will see polling for 40 constituencies. The issue of notification is scheduled to be on March 12. The last date of nominations for this phase is March 19 with the scrutiny of nominations to be held on March 20. The last date of withdrawing candidature has been set on March 22.
Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Sunil Arora said during a press briefing that the term for the state's current assembly would end on May 31. Candidates for the elections would contest for 126 assembly seats including eight reserved for SC candidates and 16 for ST candidates.
CEC Sunil Arora, during the brief, thanked Covid warriors and the common people for their contributions to help people during the Covid-19 pandemic. He also mentioned that the number of polling stations have been reduced due to the pandemic and that the poll officials would be inoculated.
Dates for the assembly elections in Assam were announced by the Election Commission of India (ECI) on Friday. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) has an incumbent government in the northeastern state, with the party’s Sarbananda Sonowal as the chief minister.
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In the 2016 assembly elections, the BJP and its allies swept to power as they won 86 of the state’s 126 assembly constituencies. In the process, the BJP formed its maiden government in Assam, succeeding the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA). The UPA, led by then chief minister Tarun Gogoi, who passed away last year, could win only 26 seats, down from 78 in 2011. In contrast, the NDA increased its tally by 60, rising from 26 seats.
The elections witnessed a record voter turnout of more than 84%, higher than 75% in 2011. The counting of votes took place on May 19, 2016.
Meanwhile, in the 2019 general elections, the NDA won nine out of 14 Lok Sabha states in Assam, with the BJP winning seven of those. The Congress, meanwhile, managed to win only three.
The upcoming assembly elections will take place in the shadow of the contentious Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), the passage of which in December 2019 triggered violent protests in Assam. The BJP, which is in power at the Centre, passed the act within months of its re-election but has faced severe opposition in the state. Several of its allies have left the BJP to protest against the passage of the act.