The 2026 Assam Assembly election has once again highlighted a clear gender gap in electoral participation, with women making up only a small share of the total candidates in the fray.Out of 722 candidates contesting across 126 constituencies, only 59 are women, according to affidavit data analysed from Election Commission records. This means women account for just about 8 per cent of all candidates, a figure that remains unchanged from the 2021 Assembly elections.Despite a reduction in the total number of candidates this time following delimitation, the proportion of women has not improved. Male candidates continue to dominate the electoral field, with 663 men contesting the polls.
The data also shows that most candidates fall within the middle age groups. A large number of contestants are between 30 and 60 years of age. In particular, candidates in the 40–49 and 50–59 age brackets form the biggest share. Younger candidates are fewer in number. Only 176 candidates, or about 24 per cent, are in the 25–40 age group, suggesting that youth participation remains limited.Among older candidates, the numbers gradually decline after the age of 60. Very few candidates fall in the 70–79 age group, indicating that senior citizens are less represented in the contest.When it comes to political parties, the participation of women remains limited across major parties. The BJP has fielded six women candidates out of its 90 nominees. The Congress has given tickets to women in around 13 per cent of its seats. Some smaller parties, such as the Socialist Unity Centre of India (Communist), have a relatively higher proportion of women candidates, but their overall presence in the election is small.
Educational background data shows that more than half of the candidates are well educated. Around 53 per cent have qualifications at the graduate level or higher. The remaining candidates have education levels ranging from primary schooling to higher secondary.