The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) officially released its first list of 88 candidates for the upcoming Assam Assembly elections on Thursday, March 19, 2026.
The announcement marks a high-stakes moment for the ruling party, signaling a strategy of both continuity for its top brass and a heavy reliance on high-profile defectors from the Congress.
Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma will once again contest from his traditional stronghold of Jalukbari, seeking a sixth consecutive term in the assembly. Sarma, who has held the seat since 2001, remains the face of the NDA’s campaign as they look to secure a third straight victory in the state.
Under the new seat-sharing arrangement, the BJP will contest 89 seats, while the Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) and Bodoland People’s Front (BPF) take 26 and 11 seats, respectively.
The most notable name on the list is Pradyut Bordoloi, the Nagaon MP who sent shockwaves through the political landscape by joining the BJP just yesterday.
In a bold move, the party has fielded him from the high-profile Dispur constituency. Bordoloi, a veteran who spent nearly 30 years with the Congress, cited a culture of “humiliation” and “suffocation” as his reason for quitting. Joining him in the shift is former Assam Congress chief Bhupen Kumar Borah, who has been nominated for the Bihpuria seat, a constituency he has represented in the past.
The first list reflects the BJP’s intent to consolidate its base by dropping 11 sitting MLAs in favor of fresh faces and established “turncoats” with local influence.
Meanwhile, the Congress, led by state chief Gaurav Gogoi, has termed the exits “unfortunate” and accused the BJP of systematic poaching.
With voting for all 126 seats scheduled for April 9, the battle lines are now clearly drawn between Sarma’s NDA and the Congress-led alliance.
The inclusion of heavyweights like Bordoloi and Borah suggests that the BJP is not just playing for continuity, but is actively trying to dismantle the Congress’s remaining leadership structure in Assam.
By giving these “newcomers” key battlegrounds, the party is betting that their local popularity will outweigh any internal friction from long-time BJP cadres.
As the single-phase election on April 9 approaches, the focus will now shift to how the Congress manages its own ranks to prevent further erosion before the first ballot is cast.
