Assam Polls: 67 Candidates Withdraw Nominations, 722 Remain in Fray

A total of 67 candidates have withdrawn their nominations following the announcement of the Assam Assembly election schedule, leaving 722 contestants in the electoral fray, according to PTI.

As per reports, 815 candidates had initially filed 1,389 nomination papers, of which 789 were declared valid. With the expiry of the withdrawal deadline on Thursday, the final list of contestants has now been reduced after multiple withdrawals, most of whom are independents.

Among the notable withdrawals was National People’s Party (NPP) candidate Md Aminul Islam from the Mankachar constituency, who had recently resigned from the AIUDF. In addition, four members of the Autonomous State Demand Committee (ASDC)—Kamal Singh Bey (Bokajan), Mandal Enghi (Howraghat), Gulson Bey (Diphu), and Anjoshi Terang (Haflong)—also pulled out of the contest, along with a leader of the Gondwana Ganatantra Party.

The withdrawal phase comes amid a closely watched electoral battle featuring several high-profile candidates, including Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, Assam Pradesh Congress Committee president Gaurav Gogoi, Leader of the Opposition Debabrata Saikia, AIUDF chief Badruddin Ajmal, and Assembly Speaker Biswajit Daimary.

In a related political development, former BJP MLA from Haflong (ST), Nandita Gorlosa, joined the Congress on March 23, ahead of the elections, after being denied a ticket by the BJP. The party subsequently fielded newcomer Rupali Langthasa from the constituency.

Her defection, coming just ahead of the nomination deadline, prompted the Congress to revise its candidate strategy in the Haflong constituency as part of its broader electoral recalibration.