Assam assembly elections 2026: From Himanta Biswa Sarma to Gaurav Gogoi, key candidates to watch out for

Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma is the BJP’s key strategist in the state’s politics and the face of the ruling alliance’s bid for a third straight term. Representing Jalukbari since 2001, he has built a strong electoral base, winning the seat repeatedly with rising margins, including a record victory in 2021. (Image credit: PTI)

Congress leader Gaurav Gogoi, deputy leader of the party in the Lok Sabha, is making his assembly election debut from Jorhat. Projected as the Congress’s chief ministerial face, he heads the state unit and aims to challenge the BJP’s dominance after boosting party morale with a strong parliamentary victory in 2024. (Image credit: PTI)

Leader of the Opposition Debabrata Saikia is seeking a fourth consecutive term from the Nazira constituency, a seat closely linked to his political family. Son of former chief minister Hiteswar Saikia, he has represented the constituency since 2011 and narrowly retained it in the last assembly election. (Image credit: PTI)

Assembly Speaker Biswajit Daimary is contesting from Panery as a BJP candidate. A former Rajya Sabha member, he earlier served two terms as an MLA with the Bodoland People’s Front before joining the BJP in 2020. Daimary successfully contested the 2021 polls after switching to the ruling party. (Image credit: PTI)

Former Rajya Sabha MP Ripun Bora is a senior Congress leader who previously represented the Gohpur constituency twice and served as a minister in the Tarun Gogoi government. In the upcoming election, he will contest from Barchalla, hoping to strengthen the party’s presence in the state assembly. (Image credit: PTI)

Ajanta Neog, Assam’s first woman finance minister, is one of the state’s most experienced legislators. Representing Golaghat since 2001, she holds the record as the longest-serving female MLA in Assam. A former Congress minister, she joined the BJP in 2020 and became finance minister in Sarma’s cabinet. (Image credit: PTI)

AGP president Atul Bora is a key ally of the BJP-led NDA in Assam. A former student leader during the anti-foreigners’ agitation, he currently serves as agriculture minister. Bora earlier represented Golaghat and has been elected twice from Bokakhat since 2016, maintaining his strong regional political base. (Image credit: PTI)

AGP leader Keshab Mahanta has represented the Kaliabor constituency since 2006 and serves as a minister in the BJP-led government. A former Lok Sabha MP, he currently handles revenue, science and technology, and IT portfolios in the state cabinet and remains a prominent figure in alliance politics. (Image credit: ANI)

Raijor Dal president Akhil Gogoi rose to prominence during protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act. He won the Sivasagar assembly seat as an independent in 2021 while still in jail on sedition charges linked to the protests. Gogoi continues to position himself as a grassroots opposition voice. (Image credit: PTI)

AIUDF leader Aminul Islam is a three-term MLA who has represented Dhing since 2011. He faced legal trouble over controversial remarks last year and was briefly detained under the National Security Act before being released. For the upcoming election, the party has shifted him to contest from Rupahihat. (Image credit: PTI)

The Election Commission on Sunday announced that polling for all 126 constituencies of the Assam legislative assembly will take place in a single phase on April 9, with the counting of votes scheduled for May 4. (Image credit: PTI)