Assam Assembly Election 2026: New NDA Equation afoot in BTR

Staff Reporter

Guwahati: Judging by the hints being dropped by several quarters, including Chief Minister Dr Himanta Biswa Sarma, it is most likely that the dates for the Assam Assembly Election 2026 will be declared by the end of February or the first part of March. With the elections now around the corner, formal and informal talks have started between BJP and NDA alliance partners in the state. A new equation is in the offing in BTR.

Earlier, there were 12 seats in the Bodoland Territorial Region (BTR), before the delimitation of constituencies by the ECI. Post-delimitation, this number has increased to 15. After the BPF snatched victory in the BTC election in 2025, the political equation underwent a change.

In the current Assam Assembly, the BPF boasts three MLAs, one of whom now holds a ministerial berth in the state cabinet. It is the BPF’s target to increase the number of MLAs in the Assembly after the 2026 election. So far, the BJP is walking the tightrope, with discussions taking place with both the BPF and UPPL. Recently, the CM and BPF supremo Hagrama Mohilary engaged in a discussion with Union Home Minister Amit Shah in New Delhi regarding electoral understandings between the two parties. Prior to the discussion, UPPL head Pramod Bodo also met with Amit Shah.

According to a BPF source, of the 15 LACs in the BTR, the BPF is keen to contest in 12 seats. This yearning has been communicated to the BJP. It is now in the hands of the BJP to manage a balance with both parties while contesting in the upcoming election.

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