Guwahati, March 19: The Bharatiya Janata Party on March 19 announced its candidate list for the April 9 Assam Legislative Assembly elections 2026, naming six women among 88 nominees, reflecting a modest presence of female representation in the party’s electoral lineup.
The women candidates include Madhavi Das from Birsing-Jarua, Jyotsna Kalita from Chamaria, Nilima Devi from Mangaldai, Ajanta Neog from Golaghat, Niso Terangpi from Diphu, and Rupali Langthasa from Haflong.
Among them, Ajanta Neog stands out as the most prominent figure, having represented Golaghat for five consecutive terms since 2001. A former Congress leader who served as a minister under Tarun Gogoi, she joined the BJP in 2020 and later became the first woman Finance Minister in Assam under the government led by Himanta Biswa Sarma. Her political journey also includes a personal tragedy, with her husband, former minister Nagen Neog, having been killed in 1996.
Rupali Langthasa’s candidature from Haflong places focus on the hill district of Dima Hasao, where the BJP has previously seen a breakthrough with the election of a woman legislator in 2021. In the Karbi Anglong region, Niso Terangpi’s nomination from Diphu reflects the party’s continued efforts to strengthen its presence in tribal belts.
The remaining candidates — Madhavi Das, Jyotsna Kalita and Nilima Devi — are relatively lesser-known figures, indicating the party’s reliance on local organisational networks in selecting nominees.
The limited number of women candidates highlights a broader trend in Assam’s political landscape, where female representation has declined over the years. In the 2021 Assembly elections, only six women were elected to the 126-member House, down from 14 in 2011 and seven in 2016. The BJP had allotted around 8 per cent of its tickets to women in 2021, a figure comparable to that of the Congress.
With women forming nearly half of the electorate in Assam, their representation in candidate selection remains disproportionately low. The six nominations in the current list account for roughly 7 per cent of the seats announced so far, indicating little change in the overall pattern.
Polling for the Assembly elections will be held in a single phase on April 9, with counting scheduled for May 4. The ruling alliance, led by the BJP, is seeking a third consecutive term in the state.
