The Assam Legislative Assembly is the unicameral legislature of the Indian state of Assam. It is housed in Dispur, the capital city of Assam, geographically situated in present Western Assam region. The Legislative Assembly comprises 126 Members of Legislative Assembly, directly elected from single-seat constituencies. Its term is five years, unless sooner dissolved. The presiding officer of the Assembly is the Speaker, currently Biswajit Daimary.
Members of the Assembly are directly elected by the people of Assam through elections held every five years, unless the Assembly is dissolved earlier. The current Assembly was elected in April–May 2021, and the next election is scheduled for 2026. The Assembly plays a key role in law-making for the state, handling crucial matters such as state budgets, development policies, and local governance. It has the authority to legislate on issues specified under the State and Concurrent Lists of the Constitution of India.
The Assembly functions through various committees that handle specific issues, including the budget, public accounts, and legislative procedures. The Chief Minister, who is the leader of the majority party in the Assembly, holds executive powers and is the head of the state government. The current Chief Minister is Himanta Biswa Sarma from the BJP, who has been in office since May 2021.
The 2021 election was the BJP securing a simple victory, while the INC emerged as the main opposition party, alongside its allies such as the AIUDF and BPF.
History
According to provisions of the Government of India Act 1935, a bicameral legislature of Assam province came into existence in 1937. After the Government of India Act 1935 was passed, it paved the way for the formation of Assam Legislative Assembly, and became a bicameral legislature. The strength of the House was 108, where all the members were elected. The Legislative Council (Upper House) was not less than 21 and not more than 22 members.
The first sitting of its lower house, the Assam Legislative Assembly, took place on 7 April 1937 in the Assembly Chamber at Shillong. Shillong was the capital of the composite State of Assam. It had a strength of 108 members.
However, the strength of the Assembly was reduced to 71 after the partition of India. After Indian independence in 1947, the Assam Legislative Council was abolished and the Assam Legislative Assembly became unicameral.
In the years that followed, Assam was truncated to several smaller states. And over the years, with the changing geographical boundaries and increase in population, the strength of members has changed from 108 in 1952–57 to 114 in 1967-72 (the third Assembly) and by 1972-78 (the fifth Assembly) it had a strength of 126 members.2
Office bearers
This section is transcluded from 15th Assam Assembly. (edit | history)
| S.No | Position | Portrait | Name | Party | Constituency | Office Taken | Reference | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Speaker | Biswajit Daimary | Bharatiya Janata Party | Panery | 21 May 2021 | 3 | ||
| 2 | Deputy Speaker | Numal Momin | Bokajan | 4 | ||||
| 3 | Leader of the House (Chief Minister) | Himanta Biswa Sarma | Jalukbari | 10 May 2021 | 5 | |||
| 4 | Leader of the Opposition | Debabrata Saikia | Indian National Congress | Nazira | 21 May 2021 | 6 | ||
| 5 | Deputy Leader of the Opposition | Rakibul Hussain | Samaguri | 21 May 2021 – 11 June 2024 | 7 | |||
| Vacant | 8 | |||||||
Members of the Legislative Assembly
This section is transcluded from 15th Assam Assembly. (edit | history)
Source:910Leaders of Opposition
Official Opposition is a term used to designate the political party which has secured the second largest number of seats in the assembly. In order to get formal recognition, the party must have at least 10% of total membership of the Legislative Assembly. A single party has to meet the 10% seat criterion, not an alliance. Many of the Indian state legislatures also follows this 10% rule while the rest of them prefer single largest opposition party according to the rules of their respective houses.
Leaders of Opposition
Deputy Leader of Opposition
| # | Assembly | Name | Portrait | Term starts | Constituency | Party | Chief Minister |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Renuka Devi Barkataki | 1972-1978 | Peoples Democratic Party of Assam | Sarat Chandra Sinha | |||
| 2 | 14th Assam Assembly | Rakibul Hussain | 2016-2021 | Samaguri | Indian National Congress | Sarbananda Sonowal | |
| 15th Assam Assembly | 2021-2024 | Himanta Biswa Sarma | |||||
| 3 | 2024-invumbent |
See also
External links
References
"BJP legislator Biswajit Daimary becomes new Assam assembly speaker". Times of India. 21 May 2021. https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/guwahati/bjp-legislator-biswajit-daimary-becomes-new-assam-assembly-speaker/articleshow/82831618.cms ↩
"Assam Legislative Assembly - History". assambidhansabha.org. Retrieved 1 April 2022. https://assambidhansabha.org/about ↩
"BJP legislator Biswajit Daimary becomes new Assam assembly speaker". Times of India. 21 May 2021. https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/guwahati/bjp-legislator-biswajit-daimary-becomes-new-assam-assembly-speaker/articleshow/82831618.cms ↩
"MLA Dr. Numal Momin Elected as Deputy Speaker of 15th Assam Legislative Assembly". Sentinel Assam. Retrieved 25 May 2021. https://www.sentinelassam.com/topheadlines/mla-dr-numal-momin-elected-as-deputy-speaker-of-15th-assam-legislative-assembly-539766 ↩
"Himanta Biswa Sarma sworn in as Chief Minister of Assam". Business Standard. 10 May 2021. https://www.business-standard.com/article/politics/himanta-biswa-sarma-sworn-in-as-chief-minister-of-assam-121051000395_1.html ↩
ANI. "Congress elects Debabrata Saikia as leader of opposition in Assam Assembly". Retrieved 3 January 2025. https://www.business-standard.com/article/politics/congress-elects-debabrata-saikia-as-leader-of-opposition-in-assam-assembly-121052100077_1.html ↩
ANI. "Congress elects Debabrata Saikia as leader of opposition in Assam Assembly". Retrieved 3 January 2025. https://www.business-standard.com/article/politics/congress-elects-debabrata-saikia-as-leader-of-opposition-in-assam-assembly-121052100077_1.html ↩
"Assam: Congress' Rakibul Hussain, who won Lok Sabha polls with record margin, resigns as MLA". Economic Times. Retrieved 11 June 2024. https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/politics-and-nation/assam-congress-rakibul-hussain-who-won-lok-sabha-polls-with-record-margin-resigns-as-mla/articleshow/110902519.cms ↩
"Assam General Legislative Election 2021". Election Commission of India. https://old.eci.gov.in/files/file/13620-assam-general-legislative-election-2021/ ↩
"Assembly Constituency wise vote polled by contesting candidates in FORM-21". Office of the Chief Electoral Officer, Assam. http://ceoassam.nic.in/assembly/2021/form21E_2021.html ↩
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"Assam Congress MLA Sashi Kanta Das who extended support to BJP suspended". Hindustan Times. 1 January 2022. Retrieved 7 April 2022. https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/assam-congress-mla-sashi-kanta-das-who-extended-support-to-bjp-suspended-101641010555121.html ↩
"Assam: Dissatisfied over ECI's delimitation, AGP MLA resigns from party posts". Hindustan Times. 12 August 2023. Retrieved 19 December 2023. https://www.hindustantimes.com/cities/others/agp-leader-resigns-after-dilution-of-amguri-constituency-in-assam-delimitation-process-faces-public-condemnation-101691855115077.html ↩
"Debabrata Saikia appointed Leader of Opposition in Assam Assembly". Financialexpress. 6 June 2016. Retrieved 3 January 2025. https://www.financialexpress.com/india-news/debabrata-saikia-appointed-leader-of-opposition-in-assam-assembly/275363/ ↩
"Congress MLA loses status of leader of opposition in Assam assembly". Hindustan Times. 5 January 2021. Archived from the original on 23 May 2024. Retrieved 3 January 2025. http://web.archive.org/web/20240523222950/https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/congress-mla-loses-status-of-leader-of-opposition-in-assam-assembly/story-ojs1wqFImHjDwgDS4gU3mJ.html ↩
ANI. "Congress elects Debabrata Saikia as leader of opposition in Assam Assembly". Archived from the original on 3 June 2021. Retrieved 3 January 2025. http://web.archive.org/web/20210603031743/https://www.business-standard.com/article/politics/congress-elects-debabrata-saikia-as-leader-of-opposition-in-assam-assembly-121052100077_1.html ↩