A high-octane political battle is all set in Assam as the state gears up for the Assembly Elections 2026. The ruling BJP-led alliance, headed by Himanta Biswa Sarma, is hoping for an electoral return. Opposition parties, including the Congress, are hoping for a return to power.
Over the past 15 years, the State has witnessed dramatic political shifts, especially in 2011, when the BJP won a north-eastern state for the first time.
From the unseating of the Congress and Tarun Gogoi’s exit to the replacement of Sarbananda Sonwal with Himanta Sarma, the State has witnessed several political turns.
Here’s a look at how the voting trends have changed since 2011.
2011: In the 2011 Legislative Assembly Elections, the Congress secured a landslide victory in Assam. The party won 78 out of the 126 seats. The victory allowed Tarun Gogoi to secure his third term as Chief Minister. The party won 54,43,781 votes or 39.39% of the total.
The All India United Democratic Front (AIUDF) won 18 seats and 17,374,015 votes (12.57%).
Bodoland People’s Front ( BPF) won 12 seats with 8,47,520 votes or 6.13% of the total.
Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) won 10 seats with 22,51,935 votes or 16.29% of the total.
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) won five seats with 15,84,895 votes or 11.47% of the total.
Independent candidates won two seats with 12,67,925 votes or 9.17% of the total.
All India Trinamool Congress (AITC) won one seat with 2,83,683 votes or 2.05% of the total.
The voter turnout in 2011 was approximately 76% with 1,81,88,269 people voting in the elections.
2016: The 2016 Assembly Elections saw the rise of the Bharatiya Janata Party-led National Democratic Alliance in Assam for the first time and the fall of the Indian National Congress.
The victory saw Sarbananda Sonwal become Chief Minister of the state.
BJP won 60 seats with 29.51% vote share and a total of 49,92185 votes.
Congress won 26 seats with 30.96% vote share and a total of 52,38,655 votes.
The BJP secured a victory in the election despite having a lower vote share than the Congress, since it was in alliance with AGP and BPF.
Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) won 14 seats with 8.14% vote share and a total of 13,77,482 votes.
All India United Democratic Front (AIUDF) won 13 seats with 13.05% vote share and a total of 22,07,945 votes.
Bodoland People’s Front won 12 seats with 3,94% vote share and a total of 6,66,057 votes.
Independent candidates won one seat with 11.09% vote share and a total of 18,67,532 votes.
The voter turnout in 2016 was approximately 84.72%, a record high for Assam, with 1,69,19,364 people voting in the elections.
2021: In the 2021 Assembly elections, the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance retained power by winning 75 seats. Following the results, Himanta Biswa Sarma replaced Sarbananda Sonwal as the Chief Minister of Assam.
BJP won 60 seats and 33.21% of the vote share with 63,84,538 votes in total.
INC won 29 seats and 29.67% of the vote share with 57,03,341 votes.
All India United Democratic Front (AIUDF) won 16 seats and 9.29% of the vote share with 17,86,551 votes.
Asom Gana Parishad won nine seats and 7.90% of the vote share with 1,51,9,234 votes.
United People’s Party Liberal won six seats and 3.39% of the vote share with 6,51,774 votes.
Bodoland People’s Front (BPF) won four seats and 3.39% of the vote share with 6,51,073 votes.
CPI(Marxist) won one seat and 0.84% of the vote share with 1,60,758 votes.
Independent candidates won one seat with 5.93% of the vote share and 11,39,423 votes.
The Opposition Mahajot alliance won 50 seats with 43.7% vote share.
The voter turnout was 82.42%, and 23,43,6864 people voted in the elections.
Published – March 24, 2026 10:15 am IST
