Battle for Brahmaputra’s North Bank: NDA faces tough opposition across 18 seats

Tezpur: Brahmaputra's north bank, accounting for 18 seats, is witnessing an intense fight between NDA and Opposition candidates. Bodo and tea tribes are the primary voters in the region, with some constituencies having a sizeable number of Gorkha voters.

BJP and allies had swept the north bank seats in 2021 assembly polls. BJP has fielded former PCC chief Bhupen Borah from Bihpuria. Congress has fielded Narayan Bhuyan. Once close friends, both Borah and Bhuyan are political rivals now.

In 2021, Congress' Bharat Narah had won the Naoboicha seat. This time, BJP ally AGP has fielded Basanta Das, who recently quit Congress, and Congress nominee is Joy Prakash Das. After the delimitation exercise of 2023, Naoboicha has been designated as a Schedule Caste reserved seat. In Dhekiajuli, BJP's Ashok Singhal is pitted against Congress' Batash Urang. Political analysts believe that "dissidents will play a key role in several seats". Bodoland People's Front is campaigning for BJP in the region. BPF is not contesting outside the Sixth Schedule area.


Assam recorded its first poll-related violence on Monday when Sunil Chhetri and several Congress workers were injured in an attack in Naduar constituency. Chhetri is undergoing treatment in a hospital.