Guwahati, Dec 31: The Bharatiya Janata Party is likely to announce its candidates for the upcoming Assam Assembly elections in the first or second week of February, according to Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma.

Sarma made the statement while speaking to reporters on the sidelines of an official programme in Barpeta district. He said the ruling party is also working to finalise seat-sharing arrangements with its National Democratic Alliance partners, including Asom Gana Parishad and other smaller regional parties, by January 15.

Elections to the 126-member Assam Assembly are expected to be held in March–April 2026. Sarma said the BJP-led alliance would seek public support to return to power and aim to improve its performance compared to the previous election.

The BJP currently leads the NDA coalition in the Assam Assembly with 64 MLAs. Its allies include Asom Gana Parishad with nine MLAs, United People’s Party Liberal with seven, and Bodoland People’s Front with three. Other NDA constituents are Rabha Hasong Joutha Sangram Samiti and Janashakti Party.

On the opposition side, the Congress has 26 MLAs, the All India United Democratic Front holds 15 seats, the CPI(M) has one, and there is one Independent MLA.

Referring to alliances in the Bodoland Territorial Region, Sarma said the political situation there differs from that in Dispur. He noted that while NDA partners are united at the state level, UPPL and BPF function separately in the BTR. He added that the BJP maintains working relations with both parties and decisions will be taken based on further discussions.

Sarma said the BJP is assessing the possibility of contesting five to six of the 15 Assembly seats in the BTR region, depending on organisational strength and alliance negotiations, with talks to continue on the remaining seats.