Elections to Assam's 126-member assembly will be held on April 9, five days ahead of Bohag Bihu, the state's biggest festival marking the Assamese New Year, and the results will be declared on May 4.
The announcement has set the stage for a keenly fought contest between the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Opposition Congress-led groupings.
March 23 will be the last date for filing nominations, which can be withdrawn by March 26. This will be the first assembly election after the 2023 delimitation that resulted in large-scale restructuring of boundaries of the 126 seats and the special revision (SR) of the electoral roll, which concluded in February.
Along with Assam, Kerala and the Union Territory of Puducherry will also vote in a single phase on April 9. Meanwhile, Tamil Nadu will vote on April 23 and West Bengal will vote in two phases on April 23 and April 29.
The BJP, which came to power in Assam for the first time in 2016, is hoping to retain power for the third consecutive time in alliance with Asom Gana Parishad (AGP), Bodoland Peoples Front (BPF), and Rabha Hasong Joutha Mancha (RHJM).
The Congress has allied with the Assam Jatiya Parishad (AJP), Communist Party of India (Marxist) or CPI(M), and All Party Hill Leaders Conference (APHLC). It was unclear whether Raijor Dal, which has one seat in the outgoing assembly, will be part of the alliance.
The 2026 election is seen as a direct contest between chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma and state Congress chief Gaurav Gogoi.
Key issues ahead of elections include large-scale evictions to remove "encroachments" from over 49,500 acres of government and forest land, and the Scheduled Tribe (ST) status to the Tai Ahom, Koch-Rajbongshi, Tea Tribes (Adivasi), Moran, Motok, and Chutia communities.
