Congress makes the opening move in Assam Elections : Decoding what the first list of candidates tells us

The election season in India's East and northeast is yet to begin as the sweltering summer heat awaits us but the political temperature is already on the rise in Assam. Although the dates of the upcoming assembly elections haven't been announced yet, the Congress party pulled a major surprise in Assam as they announced their first list of candidates on Tuesday -3rd March. 

The move has taken political analysts and election observers by surprise as the grand old party is generally the last two declare its candidates. This time though, the principal opposition in Assam seems to be taking things seriously as they sense a chance after being out of power for more than 10 years in Northeast India's most prestigious state.   

Candidates announced for 42 seats. Focus on diversity and representation

The Congress party announced its list of candidates for 42 seats across the various regions of Assam from the Brahmaputra to the Barak Valley. The list consists of a good mix of candidates from various communities including women and minorities. Five Muslim candidates and as many women also feature in the list. Representatives from Dalit background along with those with a clean image in public life have been given preference. Among the women candidates, the most prominent are Mira Borthakur Goswami, who is a popular face in the media and had also contested from the Guwahati LokSabha constituency in 2024. Goswami is contesting from Dispur this time, which also features the State secretariat. Sitting MLA Nandita Das is contesting from Hajo-Sualkuchi while advocate Suruchi Roy is set to contest from the Ramkrishna Nagar seat. Among the Muslim community, the prominent candidates are Aminul Laskar, Abdus Sobhan Sarkar and Nurul Huda. Misbahul Islam Laskar, three timeBorkhola MLA has been left out this time in what appears to be a notable omission. The party has banked on Silchar based doctor Amit Kalwar from the seat to swing its fortunes as it faces anti-incumbency in the region. 

Marquee Battle in Jorhat as Gaurav Gogoi takes the Plunge. Other prominent leaders also fielded  

State Congress President and Deputy Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha, Gaurav Gogoi is also contesting the elections this time. Taking the bull by the horns, the Jorhat MP is contesting from the Jorhat assembly seat this time. During the Lok Sabha elections, Gogoi lead by more than 12,000 votes from the Jorhat assembly segment. He will be looking to replicate the performance in the assembly elections and lead the party from the front. Leader of Opposition, Debabrata Saikia is contesting again from Nazira, another seat where everyone will be focused on. Saikia, won by a thin margin in 2021 and the Congress party lead by a bit more than 100 votes from the same seat during the Lok Sabha elections. This puts the current LoP on a sticky wicket heading into the elections. Among other prominent leaders, sitting MLA Diganta Barman is contesting from Barkhetri. Former PCC chief, Ripun Bora, who recently made a comeback in the party after being in Trinamool Congress for a while is set to contest from Barchalla.  Several young faces also feature for the party in the first list. Among them are the children of three veteran leaders. Nagaon MP, Pradyut Bordoloi’s son Prateek Bordoloi makes his electoral debut from Margherita while Dhubri MP Rakibul Hussain's son,  Tanzil Hussain will be contesting from his family bastion Samaguri. Former minister Paban Singh Ghatowar’s son Pranjal Ghatowar is also set to feature from the Chabua-Lohwal seat.   

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District Presidents get the nod; Former NDA leaders also feature. 

One of the key strategies employed off late by Rahul Gandhi has been the empowerment of the district Congress committee presidents in every state. Keeping this in mind, the Congress party has nominated several district presidents as candidates in the first list.  Bongaigaon district president, Girish Baruah is contesting from the same assembly segment. Charaideo district president Utpal Gogoi is contesting from Sonari while the president of Karbi Anglong region, Raton Engti is contesting from Bokajan. Silchar-based prominent doctor, Amit Kumar Kalwar is contesting from Barkhola, in a decision that has generated major buzz in the Barak Valley region. His joining gave a fresh lease of hope to the Congress which had been struggling in Cachar especially after the exits of former Silchar MP, Sushmita Dev and Karimganj MLA, Kamalakhya Dey Purakayastha. While Dev joined TMC and has led the Trinamool’s Assam expansion, Kamalakhya has recently joined the saffron fold bolstering their fortunes in the region further.The grand old party has also resorted to the strategy of giving tickets to turncoat candidates from NDA who joined the party last year. Former AGP MLA Satyabrata Kalita is contesting from Kamalpur while former BJP MLA Kartik Sena Sinha is contesting from Patharkandi. Kalita was previously with the Asom Gana Parishad and had been an MLA during the 2016-2021 tenure. Kartik Sinha on the other hand is considered to be among the old timers in the BJP who had managed to win in the 2006 assembly elections from Patharkandi. He had previously changed sides to AIUDF and joined the Congress party last year.  Ever since Gaurav Gogoi, took over as Pradesh Congress Chief, the party has gone on to induct several such dissident former leaders from the NDA camp in the Congress party. Whether the move pays off though, will be decided in the next few months only. 

Conclusion   

Overall, Congress has made the opening move in what is likely to be an uphill battle for the party in the upcoming elections. The political contours of Assam have been redrawn and the demographics of a lot of constituencies have changed significantly thereby altering electoral arithmetics. The Congress also faces the challenge of the BJP's well-oiled electoral machinery, it's organisational might and the personal charisma of the chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma. The slew of social welfare and DBT schemes has also tilted the scales in the favor of the saffron camp as the grand old party plays catch up in the run up to the elections. The releasing of the first list in advance therefore assumes significance as it gives the candidates some time to prepare for the tough battle ahead. Whether the move succeeds or not though, is a thing that will be decided only in the time to come. 


Soumarya Dutta is a Research and Program Associate at North-East India’s premier Think Tank, Asian Confluence, Shillong. His work focuses on regional connectivity and development cooperation in North-East and Southeast Asia. With an academic background in Conflict Management and Development, he explores the intersections of ecology, economy, and geopolitics in India’s Northeast and the Bay of Bengal region