Assam: Dispur expects Assembly polls to be over before Rongali Bihu

Staff Reporter

Guwahati: Following a directive from the Election Commission of India (ECI), the Election Department, Assam, has started the ground preparation work for the upcoming Assembly poll 2026.

While the process for Special Revision (SR) of the electoral roll is going on as per schedule, the First Level Checking (FLC) of Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) and Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT) units has been undertaken across the state.

On Thursday, Chief Minister Dr Himanta Biswa Sarma said that the state government wants the Assembly elections to be over by Rongali Bihu in mid-April.

According to the Election Department, Assam, the FLC process for EVMs and VVPATs has been completed successfully in 34 districts, except Tamulpur district, during the period from December 11, 2025, to January 9, 2026. The exercise was conducted strictly in accordance with the instructions, guidelines, and standard operating procedures issued by the ECI and in the presence of representatives of recognized political parties, thereby ensuring due transparency and procedural compliance.

Consequently, upon completion of the FLC, a total of 43,348 Ballot Units (BU), 36,113 Control Units (CU), and 45,332 VVPAT units have been checked and found fit for deployment across the state, the department stated.

The FLC for Tamulpur district is proposed to be conducted tentatively by February 18, 2026. Further, since the machines were found to be inadequate during the first round of the FLC, Supplementary FLC will also be required in almost all the districts, which will also be conducted tentatively by the same time. After the completion of this FLC, Assam shall be ready in respect of EVM and VVPAT availability for the conduct of the Assembly elections.

Talking to the media today, the CM said, “The state government wants that the elections should be over before Rongali Bihu. The people of Assam want the same. It is noticed that in the last 3 general elections to the Assam Legislative Assembly, the ECI conducted the elections before the Rongali Bihu. This time, we can also expect that the elections will be completed before Bihu. Assam is now on the way to the election, and the schedule for the polls may be announced any day now.”

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