BJP redraws Assam election line-up, drops 16 sitting MLAs
The BJP on Thursday released its first list of 88 candidates for the upcoming Assam Assembly elections, dropping 16 sitting MLAs. Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma will contest from his traditional Jalukbari seat, which he has held since 2001.
Polling in the 126-member Assembly will be held on April 9, with counting scheduled for May 4. The BJP plans to contest 89 seats, leaving 26 for the Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) and 11 for the Bodoland People’s Front (BPF). The party is yet to announce its candidate for Sissiborgaon.
The BJP’s Central Election Committee finalised the list at a meeting chaired by party president Nitin Nabin on Wednesday. The meeting was attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah and Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, among others.
Among key contests, BJP MP Hitendra Nath Goswami will face Assam Congress chief Gaurav Gogoi in Jorhat. Assembly Speaker Biswajit Daimary will contest from Tamulpur (ST), shifting from Panery.
Several cabinet ministers will seek re-election from their current constituencies, including Ajanta Neog (Golaghat), Ranoj Pegu (Dhemaji-ST), Pijush Hazarika (Jagiroad-SC) and Ashok Singhal (Dhekiajuli), among others.
The list also reflects shifts, with ministers Chandramohan Patowary moving from Dharmapur to Tihu and Ranjeet Kumar Dass from Pathacharkuchi to Bhowanipur-Sorbhog.
Signalling both continuity and change, the BJP has fielded only five women candidates and introduced new faces alongside established leaders. Former Congress leaders Pradyut Bordoloi and Bhupen Borah, who recently joined the BJP, have been fielded from Dispur and Bihpuria respectively. Former Union minister Rameshwar Teli will contest from Duliajan.
Several sitting leaders have been dropped, including Deputy Speaker Numal Momin and ministers Nandita Garlosa and Phanidhar Talukdar.
In a key political development ahead of the polls, the BJP has brought the BPF back into the NDA fold after five years and finalised its seat-sharing arrangement with the AGP.
Meanwhile, the United People’s Party Liberal (UPPL) has exited the alliance, citing ideological differences. The party has retained several candidates in tea garden and tribal-dominated regions while introducing new faces in others, with constituencies such as Tamulpur (ST), Dudhnai (ST) and Dhemaji (ST) expected to witness close contests.
