Assam schedules Sonowal-Kachari Council polls for Nov 30

Guwahati: The Assam State Election Commission announced on Nov 3, 2026, that polling for the 32 constituencies of the Sonowal-Kachari Autonomous Council (SKAC) will be conducted on Nov 30, 2026, with vote counting slated for Dec 3, 2026. The Sentinel Assam reported the formal notification also provides for possible re-polling on Dec 1, 2026.

Election schedule

The gazetted timeline requires candidates to submit nomination papers by Nov 10, 2026. Scrutiny of these papers is set for Nov 12, and the final date for withdrawal of candidature is Nov 16, the same day the official list of contesting candidates will be released. Voting will take place across 337 polling stations serving a registered electorate of 1,63,966 voters. The State Election Commission will simultaneously hold elections for the Mising Autonomous Council across 40 constituencies on the identical dates.

Candidate filing and expense limits

To ensure a level playing field, the Commission has capped individual candidate election expenses at ₹2 lakh. Candidates and electors can verify symbols and mandatory statutory affidavit forms through the official State Election Commission, Assam portal.

Political stance of the ruling party

Following the announcement, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, speaking after an Assam BJP unit core committee meeting at Vajpayee Bhawan, said the party will remain completely neutral in the SKAC elections. He stated, "Since these elections to the Mising Autonomous Council and the Sonowal Kachari Autonomous Council will not be held on party symbols, the state BJP will remain neutral. That was one of the decisions taken." The Sentinel Assam noted this declaration reflects the party’s decision to avoid contesting under its banner.

Administrative details

The notification also specifies that if any polling irregularities arise, re-polling will be scheduled for Dec 1, 2026. To promote fairness, the Commission has fixed the maximum election expenditure for each candidate at ₹2 lakh. All candidates and voters may check candidate symbols and the required statutory affidavit forms on the official State Election Commission, Assam website.

Background and significance

The Sonowal-Kachari Autonomous Council, created in 2005, is tasked with safeguarding the socio-political, economic and land rights of the Sonowal Kachari tribe in upper Assam. The council’s standard five-year term recently expired, prompting the All Assam Sonowal Kachari Students' Union (AASKSU) to stage large protests at the District Commissioner’s office demanding immediate elections. The new schedule is seen as a response to those demands, providing a clear timetable for the democratic process.

Indigenous response

The schedule has been welcomed by local indigenous bodies, including the All Assam Sonowal Kachari Students' Union, which had earlier staged large protests at the District Commissioner’s office demanding prompt elections after the council’s five-year term ended. The announcement is seen as addressing those demands and ensuring the council, created in 2005 to protect the Sonowal Kachari tribe’s socio-political, economic and land rights in upper Assam, can resume its functions.