Bokakhat Assembly constituency is located in Golaghat district of Assam and is one of the 10 Assembly segments of the Kaziranga parliamentary seat, following the 2023 delimitation that renamed the former Kaliabor constituency. The constituency comprises Bokakhat thana (police station), Mahura mouza in Golaghat thana, and Rangamati mouza in Dergaon thana, all within the Golaghat sub-division. Bokakhat, a subdivision-level town, is widely recognised as the gateway to Kaziranga National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, famed for its one-horned rhinoceros and rich biodiversity that attracts tourists from across India and abroad. This close association with Kaziranga lends the constituency ecological and cultural prominence. Politically, Bokakhat has witnessed competitive contests, with the BJP consolidating its presence alongside regional ally AGP in recent elections.
Bokakhat constituency has participated in 13 Assembly elections since it was established in 1962. The Congress party dominated elections with five consecutive victories in the initial decades between 1962 and 1983. Overall, the Congress party won this seat eight times, followed by three victories of Independent leaders and two back-to-back wins of the Asom Gana Parishad (AGP), a key regional ally of the BJP.
Arun Phukan of the Congress party won the Bokakhat seat in 2011, defeating Independent leader Jiten Gogoi, who had won the previous two elections in 2001 and 2006, by a small margin of 1,729 votes. The BJP and AGP forming an alliance worked for them as AGP president Atul Bora snatched the seat from the sitting MLA Phukan of the Congress party by 40,193 votes in 2016. Bora, who has been serving as a cabinet minister in the BJP-led government since 2016, retained the seat in 2021, defeating Independent candidate Pranab Doley by 45,181 votes.
Voting trends in the Bokakhat Assembly segment during the Lok Sabha elections also reflect the growing grip of the BJP-AGP alliance. In 2009, the Congress party led AGP by 15,192 votes. The BJP surged to the lead in 2014, establishing a margin of 16,247 votes over Congress, as the AGP finished a distant fourth. That was the last election the BJP and AGP contested separately. Since then, they have taken turns to contest the parliamentary seat. In 2019, AGP led Congress by 42,083 votes. The BJP contested the renamed Kaziranga Lok Sabha seat in 2024 and led the Congress party comfortably.
Bokakhat Assembly constituency has 164,648 eligible voters in the final electoral roll released by the Election Commission on February 10, 2026, marking an increase of 5,981 voters from 158,667 registered voters it had in 2024. Bokakhat has witnessed a steady growth of voters over the years. The number of voters stood at 147,846 in 2021, 139,733 in 2019, 123,219 in 2016 and 118,784 in 2011. Scheduled Tribes form the largest bloc with 18.77 per cent of voters, while the Scheduled Castes account for 9.21 per cent. Muslims have a minuscule presence in the Bokakhat constituency, which is predominantly a rural seat with 91.20 per cent of its voters based in villages and 8.80 per cent residing in urban areas. The voter turnout has remained high, though it keeps fluctuating. It stood at 78.04 per cent in 2011, 85.81 per cent in 2016, 78.03 per cent in 2019 and 81.84 per cent in 2021.
Bokakhat town, situated almost in the middle of Assam, serves as the headquarters of Bokakhat subdivision and the primary gateway to Kaziranga National Park, located about 23 km away. The area features flat fertile plains of the Brahmaputra valley, with gentle transitions to nearby hills, at an average elevation of around 100 metres. The Brahmaputra River flows nearby to the north, with tributaries contributing to the lush landscape ideal for agriculture and wildlife. The economy is driven by tourism from Kaziranga, tea plantations, agriculture, including paddy and other crops, and related small trade. Nearby tourist spots include Kaipho Langso Waterfall (also known as Kakochang Waterfall, about 13 km away, a scenic cascade amid plantations with views of Numaligarh ruins), Deoparbat (ancient ruins and hills), and Numaligarh ruins (a historical site visible from nearby spots, with ancient remnants). Infrastructure is good with National Highway 715 (formerly NH 37) passing through, providing excellent road links. Rail access is via nearby stations like Furkating or Badulipar on the Northeast Frontier Railway. Nearby towns in Assam include Golaghat (district headquarters, about 30-35 km away), Numaligarh (about 21 km), Dergaon (nearby), Jorhat (about 50-60 km), and Tezpur (further west). The state capital, Guwahati, is around 240-265 km west.
Bokakhat Assembly constituency has become a stronghold of the BJP-AGP alliance as they have dominated the last five elections, winning and leading with big margins. Atul Bora is all set to contest the seat again, and given his popularity, the Congress party may have to punch above its weight to defeat the ruling alliance in Bokakhat constituency in the 2026 Assembly elections.
(Ajay Jha)
