Guwahati, March 16 (IANS) Assam Chief Minister, Himanta Biswa Sarma, on Monday said that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) will release its complete list of candidates on March 18 for the upcoming Assam Assembly elections to be held on April 9.

Speaking to reporters here, CM Sarma stated that the party will announce all its nominees in a single list, signalling that the BJP has largely finalised its strategy for the crucial polls.

“The BJP will release the list of all its candidates on March 18. The entire list will be declared together,” Sarma said.

Sarma is travelling to New Delhi today to hold key discussions with the central leadership of the BJP regarding the finalisation of candidates for the upcoming Assembly polls.

The Chief Minister also indicated that he will file his nomination for the upcoming Assembly elections on March 20.

CM Sarma on Monday visited the Durga temple at Rani on the outskirts of Guwahati and offered prayers before leaving for New Delhi.

The Chief Minister sought blessings at the temple as political activities intensify ahead of the election.

The announcement comes hours after the Election Commission of India recently declared the schedule for the Assam Assembly elections.

Polling for the 126-member Assembly will be held in a single phase on April 9, while the counting of votes will take place on May 4.

With the poll schedule already announced, political activities have intensified across the state as parties gear up to select candidates and finalise campaign strategies.

The BJP, which currently leads the government in the state, will contest the polls in alliance with its partners —Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) and Bodoland People’s Front (BPF).

According to sources, the seat sharing formula among the coalition partners was finalised and the BJP will probably contest 90 seats in the 126-member Assembly.

The rest of the seats will be given to its allies — AGP and BPF.

Over the past few weeks, Sarma and other BJP leaders have been holding multiple organisational meetings to assess the party’s preparedness and evaluate potential candidates across constituencies.

The announcement of candidates is expected to trigger a major political push, with rival parties also stepping up preparations.

The Opposition Congress has already begun releasing its lists of nominees and intensifying its campaign across the state.

–IANS

tdr/rad