Chamaria is a newly created general (unreserved) Assembly constituency located in the Kamrup district of Assam. It is one of the 10 segments of the Guwahati Lok Sabha constituency. The seat was carved out during the 2023 delimitation exercise by merging parts of the abolished Chaygaon constituency, particularly the Goroimari block, with areas from the Boko constituency, including the Chamaria block. This restructuring resulted in significantly altered boundaries and a fresh voter profile for the new seat.
Being a completely new constituency with no prior Assembly election history, Chamaria will contest its maiden election in April 2026. The only available indication of voter preference comes from the 2024 Lok Sabha polls, in which the Congress party registered a massive lead of 160,269 votes over the BJP in the Chamaria segment. Congress candidate Mira Borthakur Goswami polled 181,943 votes compared to just 21,674 votes secured by BJP’s Bijuli Kalita Medhi, who eventually won the Guwahati Lok Sabha seat. The segment recorded a high voter turnout of 89.89 per cent.
Chaygaon constituency, which contributed significantly to the formation of Chamaria, was established in 1967 and participated in 12 Assembly elections. Congress dominated the seat with seven victories, while the AGP won thrice. The breakaway Indian National Congress (Indira) won once in 1978, and AGP leader Dr. Kamala Kanta Kalita secured the 1985 election as an Independent. Kalita won the seat four times in total, while the sitting Congress MLA Rekibuddin Ahmed emerged victorious three consecutive times in 2011, 2016 and 2021.
Chamaria had 246,536 eligible voters on its final roll for the 2026 Assembly elections, registering an increase from 234,218 voters it had in 2024 following the 2025 SIR.
Demographics, based on available data, largely from the 2011 Census proportions adjusted for the area and 2023 delimitation changes, indicate a sizeable Muslim population. Chaygaon earlier had approximately 51 per cent Muslim voters, and this share is expected to have increased further in the restructured Chamaria constituency, placing the community in a commanding position. The constituency remains predominantly rural with a mix of Assamese-speaking groups, Bengali-speaking communities, and agrarian populations typical of the south bank of the Brahmaputra.
The Chamaria constituency covers parts of the Kamrup district on the south bank of the Brahmaputra River with flat alluvial plains, wetlands, and low-lying areas. The terrain supports paddy cultivation, vegetable farming, and fishing, but is highly prone to seasonal flooding and river erosion from the Brahmaputra and its tributaries. Livelihoods in Chamaria depend mainly on agriculture, small trade, fishing in beels and riverine areas, and seasonal labour. Infrastructure includes road connectivity via state highways linking to Guwahati and other areas, with rail access available at nearby stations like Chaygaon or Guwahati, about 20-40 km away, depending on the village. Basic amenities are gradually improving, with a focus on rural roads, embankments, and flood management.
The nearest major town is Guwahati (state capital, Dispur/Guwahati), about 30-40 km northeast. Other nearby towns include Chaygaon to the west, roughly 15-20 km away, and Palasbari to the east.
The Congress party has fielded Rekibuddin Ahmed, the sitting MLA of the Chaygaon constituency, as its candidate. He will be challenged by the AGP’s Md. Nurul Islam, making his election debut, on behalf of the BJP-led NDA, while the AIUDF has fielded Imdad Hussain, who had unsuccessfully contested the Goalpara East constituency in 2021, as its candidate, ensuring a multi-cornered contest that promises to be exciting, with the Congress party enjoying an edge.
(Ajay Jha)
