Assam election 2021 from March 27; counting on May 2: All you need to know

Assam Assembly election 2021: The previous election was held in two phases in 2016, on April 4 and 11, with an overall voter turnout of 84.72 per cent

Assam Assembly election 2021 is scheduled to be held from March 27. According to the Election Commission of India (ECI), Assam election will be held in three phases from March 27. Assam election result will be declared on May 2, 2021. Voting to take place for 126 seats in Assam.

Earlier, the Assembly election was held between April 4-11 in 2016, where Sarbananda Sonowal led-Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) was able to overthrow Indian National Congress under Tarun Gogoi in the state.

This time, Opposition Congress in Assam has declared a “Grand Alliance” with five parties to contest against the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party in the state in the Assembly elections. All India United Democratic Front, the Communist Party of India, the Communist Party of India (Marxist), the Communist Party of India (Marxist Leninist) Liberation, and the Anchalik Gana Marcha (AGM) are part of the alliance along with the Congress.

ABOUT ASSAM ASSEMBLY

According to the Government of India Act 1935, the Assembly was formed in 1937. This unicameral Assembly consists of 126 Members of Legislative Assembly (MLAs), elected from single-seat constituencies, with five years term, unless dissolved. The current term will end on May 31, 2021.

Since January 2017, Hitendra Nath Goswami is the Speaker of the Assembly.

ABOUT THE PREVIOUS ELECTION

The previous election was held in two phases in 2016, on April 4 and 11, with an overall voter turnout of 84.72 per cent, which set a new record for the state. The vote counting was completed in May 2016 and Sonowal-BJP was victorious.

The Election Commission of India announced that ten Assam assembly constituencies will have 2300 voter-verified paper audit trail (VVPAT) machines attached along with electronic voting machines. There were 24,890 polling stations in the state, spread over 50 election districts.

A total number of 1,064 candidates contested the polls, of which 122 from INC, 89 from BJP, 74 from All India United Democratic Front (AIUDF), 30 from Asom Gana Parishad (AGP), 13 from the Bodoland People's Front (BPF), 15 from Communist Party of India (CPI), 19 from Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPM), 205 others and 497 Independents.