Assam Election: Big jolt for Congress; Udalguri INC candidate quits less than 24 hours before voting

Guwahati: Big political shock just hours before polling in Assam. Suren Daimari, Congress candidate from Udalguri constituency, has quit the party and withdrawn his candidature, less than 24 hours before voting. A massive setback for the Congress party in a crucial seat in the Bodoland Territorial Region (BTR). Daimari has openly slammed the Congress party, alleging “Muslim appeasement politics” as the reason behind his exit. He said, “The party has betrayed me as no top leader came for campaigning. He claimed that the Congress leadership have an anti-ST mindset and is busy in minority appeasement politics. This could have a direct impact on electoral dynamics in Udalguri and beyond.

State ready for poll

The Election Commission is fully geared up to conduct the polling for the General Election to the Assam Legislative Assembly, 2026, in a free, fair and peaceful manner. Polling for all 126 Assembly Constituencies will be held in a single phase on April 9, 2026.

Chief Electoral Officer of Assam, Anurag Goel, said that all concerned are carrying out their responsibilities with utmost diligence. To ensure strict monitoring of all aspects, including law and order and election expenditure, the Election Commission has already deployed Central Observers.

In addition, under the SVEEP (Systematic Voters’ Education and Electoral Participation) programme, extensive awareness campaigns have been undertaken to encourage greater voter participation across the State. To strengthen the monitoring mechanism, webcasting facilities have been arranged in accordance with the Commission’s directions. Webcasting has been enabled in all 31,490 polling stations, including 31,486 main polling stations and 4 auxiliary polling stations. This will allow real-time monitoring of polling processes from the offices of the District Election Officers, the Chief Electoral Officer, and the Election Commission of India. Further, Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF), including CRPF personnel, have been deployed to ensure security at polling stations. Micro observers are also deputed in the sensitive polling stations to ensure the smooth conduct of polling. Basic minimum facilities have been ensured at all polling stations, including drinking water, waiting areas, toilets, and wheelchairs for persons with disabilities. Arrangements for seating (benches) near voter queues and facilities for safekeeping of mobile phones have also been made.

A total of 1,51,132 polling personnel have been deployed for the conduct of the election. For polling purposes, 41,320 Ballot Units, 43,975 Control Units, and 43,997 VVPAT machines have been arranged, including reserves for emergency use. Additional polling personnel have also been kept in readiness, if required.

It should be mentioned that 722 candidates are in the fray in the Assam assembly election, and a total of 2,50,54,463 electors will exercise their franchise. This includes 1,25,31,552 male voters, 1,25,22,593 female voters, and 318 voters in the Transgender category. There are also 63,423 service voters. Among the electorate, 6,42,314 voters are in the age group of 18–19 years, 2,50,006 are above 80 years of age, and 2,05,085 are persons with disabilities. Further, as per Section 60(c) of the Representation of the People Act, 1951, the Election Commission has provided the optional facility of voting from home through postal ballot for senior citizens above 85 years of age and identified persons with disabilities. Accordingly, to date, a total of 26,032 senior citizens (85+) and 8,373 persons with disabilities have exercised their voting rights through postal ballots from home. The Chief Electoral Officer, Anurag Goel, has appealed to all stakeholders to extend their cooperation in ensuring that every citizen is able to exercise their democratic right to vote.