Guwahati, Sep 25 (IANS): Elections to the Sonowal Kachari Autonomous Council (SKAC) will be held in November, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said on Friday, indicating that the polls would be conducted on a party-less basis.
Speaking to reporters, Sarma said candidates backed by political parties could contest, but the Election Commission would allot symbols and the polls would formally be conducted without party symbols.
He added that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) would allow its candidates to contest the Sonowal Kachari and Mising Autonomous Council elections without formally using party symbols.
The Chief Minister said the BJP had followed a similar approach during panchayat elections, which were conducted on a party-less basis.
According to him, the objective is to prevent voters and communities at the grassroots level from becoming divided along party lines.
Sarma clarified that senior BJP leaders, including MLAs, ministers and other elected representatives, would stay away from campaigning. At the same time, ordinary party workers would be free to participate under election rules.
The Assam Cabinet on Thursday decided to hold elections to both the Mising Autonomous Council and the Sonowal Kachari Autonomous Council in November 2026.
The Sonowal Kachari Autonomous Council is one of Assam’s statutory autonomous councils established for the social, economic, educational and cultural development of the concerned Scheduled Tribe community.
Political parties have already begun preparations. The Assam Pradesh Congress Committee has constituted a 50-member coordination committee for the Sonowal Kachari council election, covering districts including Dibrugarh, Tinsukia, Dhemaji, Jorhat, Golaghat, Sivasagar and Lakhimpur.
The Asom Gana Parishad has also stepped up preparations and said it intends to contest independently.
Sarma said the party-less format would keep elections focused on local candidates and community-level issues rather than turning into a direct contest between political parties.
