Key seats, tight contests & crorepati candidates: Decoding Phase 1 elections in Assam

The first phase of elections in Assam will see 47 seats of the total 126 going to polls on March 27. As many as 37 incumbent MLAs are re-contesting this time, including 24 from the BJP, 6 each from Congress and AGP, and one from AIUDF.

The first phase of elections in Assam will see 47 seats of the total 126 going to polls on March 27. As many as 37 incumbent MLAs are re-contesting this time, including 24 from the BJP, 6 each from Congress and AGP, and one from AIUDF. Of the 47 seats, 42 are from 11 districts of Upper Assam and North Assam, and five from Central Assam’s Nagaon district. In 2016, the BJP and its ally AGP had swept the elections in this region by winning 35 of these seats. The BJP alone had bagged 27 seats with a vote share of around 36 per cent. Congress had to contend with just 9 seats despite securing nearly the same vote percentage. Prior to the 2016 elections, Upper Assam was considered a Congress stronghold. The party had won 38 seats here in 2011 and 27 seats in 2006, with a vote share of 46 per cent and 39 per cent respectively.