Guwahati: Women’s representation in the forthcoming Assam Assembly elections remains limited, with both the ruling NDA and the opposition alliance fielding a modest number of candidates, reflecting a continuing gap between stated commitments and actual political participation.
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which is contesting 88 seats as part of the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) along with the Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) and the Bodoland People’s Front (BPF) in the Bodoland Territorial Region (BTR), has fielded six women candidates, one fewer than in the 2021 elections. Among them, Cabinet Minister Nandita Garlosa from Haflong constituency, is the most prominent. The other BJP candidates include Madhavi Das from Birsing-Jarua, Jyostna Kalita from Chhaygaon, Nilima Devi Mangaldai from Mangaldai, Ajanta Neog from Golaghat, Niso Terangpi from Diphu and Rupali Langthasa from Haflong.
Within the NDA, the AGP has nominated Diptimoyee Choudhury from Bongaigaon, while the BPF has fielded Sewli Mohilary, wife of the BPF chief Hagrama Mohilary, from the Kokrajhar (ST) constituency.
The opposition alliance, comprising the Congress, Raijor Dal and the Asom Jatiya Parishad (AJP), has fielded a relatively higher number of women candidates. The Congress has nominated nine women, including Mira Borthakur Goswami from Dispur, Sapali Marak from Borkhungri, Baby Begum from Dhubri, Roselina Tirkey from Khumtai and Bidisha Neog from Jalukbari, who will battle it out with Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma.
Tirkey, a former MLA from Sarupathar, won the seat in 2016 but lost in 2021. She also contested the 2024 Lok Sabha election from Kaziranga. She has previously served in local bodies and has been associated with the Assam Chah Mazdoor Sangha.
From Raijor Dal, Gyanashree Bora is contesting from Mariani, where she filed her nomination amid a large group of supporters. A former Assistant Lecturer in Chemistry, Bora has raised issues such as the Assam–Nagaland border dispute, drinking water scarcity, road infrastructure and unemployment. She is contesting against sitting MLA Rupjyoti Kurmi, making the constituency one of the closely watched contests in upper Assam.
The AJP has fielded Kunki Chowdhury, a “Gen Z” academic administrator associated with Girijananda Chowdhury University and the Shrimanta Shankar Academy Society. Her candidature has drawn attention, particularly among younger voters, with party leaders projecting her as a representative of a new, professional and Gen Z-aligned leadership profile seeking greater engagement of youth in electoral politics.
Among other parties, the Aam Aadmi Party has nominated Anurupa Dekaraja from Central Guwahati, while Renuka Timungpi is contesting from Bokajan.
Data from previous elections indicate that women remain underrepresented in the state’s legislative politics. In 2016, eight women were elected to the 126-member Assembly, while the number declined to six in 2021.
Despite a gradual increase in the number of women voters, their representation among candidates and elected members continues to remain low. The outcome of the current elections will indicate whether there is any substantive shift in this trend.