The BJP has announced its initial list of 88 candidates for the Assam Assembly elections, featuring key contests and strategic reassignments, including Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma's bid to retain his Jalukbari seat.
Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma has accused Congress leader Pawan Khera of attempting to contact militant groups to influence election results, stating that several FIRs have been registered against him and an investigation is underway.
Prateek Bordoloi's withdrawal after his father's BJP switch underscores Congress' mounting challenges ahead of the Assam elections.
The Congress and Raijor Dal have finalised a seat-sharing agreement for the Assam assembly elections, with Congress leaving 11 constituencies for Raijor Dal and a friendly contest in two others. The alliance aims to defeat the BJP government.
'I could have accepted the humiliation if I wanted to remain as an MP. But I decided to leave.'
Former Assam Congress president Bhupen Borah, who resigned recently, is set to join the BJP, citing humiliation within the Congress party. He also responded to allegations of accepting money to switch parties.
Former Assam Congress chief Bhupen Kumar Borah joined the BJP, marking a significant political shift ahead of the upcoming Assam assembly polls.
The Election Commission of India has published the final voters list for Assam after a Special Revision, deleting over 2.43 lakh names from the draft roll. The final roll comprises nearly 2.49 crore voters, a decrease of 0.97 per cent from the draft roll.
The Supreme Court has agreed to consider a plea seeking action against Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma over a viral video allegedly showing him taking aim and firing with a rifle at members of the Muslim community.
Himanta Biswa pointed out that it was 'too early' for surveys to accurately capture the electoral mood, as several key developments vis-a-vis seat-sharing arrangements among NDA partners are yet to be finalised.
The project is aimed at enabling faster movement of security forces and military equipment during exigencies, while also improving connectivity to Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur and other north eastern states.
'All these people who came from the Congress -- all outsiders -- have been given complete control of the party.' 'Today, we get no response or protection from the central leadership.' 'You can't run a party thinking only your people matter and nobody else should remain.'
The Congress has appointed Lok Sabha MP Gaurav Gogoi as the new president of its Assam unit, replacing Bupen Kumar Borah, ahead of the 2026 assembly elections. The party also appointed three new working presidents - Jakir Hussain Sikdar, Roselina Tirkey and Pradip Sarkar - to its Assam unit. Gogoi, the son of former Assam chief minister Tarun Gogoi, is currently the deputy leader of the Congress party in Lok Sabha. The party is going all-out in its bid to wrest power from the BJP after losing two consecutive state polls.
Newly appointed Assam Congress chief Gaurav Gogoi has denied allegations of having links to the Pakistani establishment, calling the claims made by the BJP a "C-grade Bollywood movie" that will "flop miserably." Gogoi said he had only visited Pakistan once 12 years ago with his wife, who was working on an international project focused on climate change. He questioned why the BJP government had not acted on the allegations in the past 11 years if there was any wrongdoing. Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, who made the initial allegations, said he would release further evidence on September 10 after a Special Investigation Team (SIT) completes its inquiry.
'There is a saying in Assamese about inflicting pain on an adversary: He cut my hands with a sword and rubbed salt into my wounds.' 'This has never been the BJP's culture but it started happening openly and frequently under Himanta Biswa Sarma.'
Amid the rhythmic chug of the train, a chorus of voices rises, each bearing its tale of hope and despair.
Sixteen per cent of the candidates contesting in the first phase of Assam assembly elections have declared criminal cases against themselves, according to a report by poll rights group Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR).
Rediff Labs analysed the 2016 assembly election results to develop a Sentiment Meter for the 2021 battle in Assam.
West Bengal and Assam voted in the first phase of assembly elections on Saturday. Polling was held for 30 seats in West Bengal and 47 seats in Assam amid tight security. Among the long queues of voters, there were some famous faces too who exercised their franchise.
Congress's Assam president Ripun Bora resigned on Sunday after the party's defeat in the state elections.
"Around 20 candidates have been shifted to Jaipur from Assam today," said Congress chief whip in the Rajasthan assembly, Mahesh Joshi.
Total 171 votes were cast in a booth in Assam's Dima Hasao district, even though 90 people were eligible to exercise their franchise, officials said on Monday, revealing a massive irregularity.
Postal ballot facility for eligible overseas Indian electors cannot be extended for the upcoming assembly polls as the matter is still under discussion with the Ministry of External Affairs to iron out logistical challenges in implementing the proposal, Lok Sabha was informed.
Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal and Health Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma were on Friday called to New Delhi by the Bharatiya Janata Party central leadership, apparently to discuss about the leadership issue of the next government, five days after the saffron party-led alliance emerged victorious in the assembly elections, sources said.
He was on Friday initially barred from campaigning related activities till April 4 for allegedly making threatening remarks against Bodoland People's Front chief Hagrama Mohilary.
The saffron party won 60 of the 126 seats, its allies Asom Gana Parishad nine and United Peoples Party (Liberal) six. Congress bagged 29 seats, its partner All India United Democratic Front 16 and Bodo Democratic Front four.
Catch the latest election results as they emerge, LIVE!
Voters in 30 assembly constituencies of West Bengal and 47 of Assam exercised their franchise on Saturday.
A voter turnout of 72.14 per cent was recorded in Assam till 5 pm on Saturday in the first phase of assembly elections in the state, the Election Commission said.
Assam minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said this while comparing the two leaders' capability in politics.
Finance Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma added to the mystery by declaring only that the next CM would be from the BJP, without naming Sarbananda Sonowal, the CM of the outgoing government.
'Most senior Congress leaders in Assam have a secret understanding with the BJP.' 'They are hobnobbing with the chief minister for their self-interest.'
The list of Congress candidates from Assam may be reviewed following pressure from state party leaders. Prime Minister Dr Manmohan may have played favourites during the selection, reports Renu Mittal.
In the Congress, Sushmita Dev enjoyed the indulgence of the Gandhi family. She has been true to them and has been graceful in her gratitude to the party that gave her unparalleled political opportunities.
At least 22 people were injured and one of them hospitalised, as forces baton charged voters and fired in air twice to scare away a rampaging mob which torched a police vehicle in Rangiya constituency in the final and last phase of polling at 64 of the 126 Assam assembly seats on Monday.
Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi and Speaker Tanka Bahadur Rai figure in the Congress's list of 118 candidates for the Assam assembly elections. The Congress finalised the names of all 118 candidates of the 126-member state assembly at a meeting of the party's election committee chaired by Sonia Gandhi on Saturday. The party is seeking a third consecutive term in power in Assam. The state will witness polling in two phases with the first phase covering 62 assembly seats on April 4.
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Monday gave a miss to his right to vote in the Assam assembly election.
The Bharatiya Janata Party on Tuesday said it is fighting the Assam assembly elections to form the government on its own as people are "displeased and disappointed" with the Congress-led Central and state governments.
Congress Vice-president Rahul Gandhi on Friday attacked Prime Minister Narendra Modi, accusing him of making 'big promises' on bringing back black money and asked him to explain why he has not instituted a probe into the matter of the Chattisgarh chief minister's son's name featuring in the 'Panama Papers'.
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