Guwahati: Several exit poll surveys on Wednesday projected a decisive victory for the Bharatiya Janata Party in Assam, indicating that incumbent Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma is set to return to power for a second consecutive term.
Most pollsters forecast the ruling party crossing the majority mark comfortably in the 126-member Assam Legislative Assembly, with estimates suggesting the Bharatiya Janata Party could secure more than 80 seats on its own.
The majority mark in the Assembly stands at 64 seats.
According to the projections, the opposition Indian National Congress is likely to remain a distant second, with estimates placing the party in the range of 25 to 35 seats.
Other regional parties and independents are expected to share the remaining seats.
Among the agencies, Axis My India gave the Bharatiya Janata Party a commanding lead.
The survey projected the ruling party winning between 88 and 100 seats, while the Congress was estimated to secure 24 to 36 seats.
Another survey by Matrize also pointed to a comfortable Bharatiya Janata Party majority, predicting 85 to 95 seats for the party and 25 to 32 seats for the Congress.
If the projections hold, it would mark another emphatic mandate for the Bharatiya Janata Party in the politically significant northeastern state and further strengthen the leadership position of Himanta Biswa Sarma, who took charge as Chief Minister after the 2021 Assembly polls.
The tenure of the present Assam Legislative Assembly is scheduled to end on May 20, 2026, and the formation of a new government is expected before that date, following the declaration of results.
In the 2021 Assembly elections, the Bharatiya Janata Party-led National Democratic Alliance had retained power by winning 75 seats in the state.
The Congress-led opposition bloc had secured 50 seats, while one seat went to an Independent candidate.
Notably, Assam was among the states where exit polls in 2021 came closest to the outcome, with most surveys accurately predicting the Bharatiya Janata Party’s return to office within a narrow margin of error.
With similar forecasts emerging this time, all eyes are now on the final results to see whether the ruling party can convert the projections into another landslide mandate.
(IANS)
