1985 Assam Legislative Assembly election
The 8th Assam Legislative Assembly election was held in two phases in December 1985 to elect members from 126 constituencies in Assam, India.
The legislatively assembly elections represented the culmination of the six-year Assam Movement from 1979 to 1985. The Assam Accord between the agitation leaders and the Government of India ended a period of sustained civil disobedience campaigns, political instability and ethnic violence. The agitation leaders contested the election as independents affiliated with the All Assam Students' Union and joined the Asom Gana Parishad floated at the Golaghat Convention before the elections. Asom Gana Parishad party president, Prafulla Kumar Mahanta, became the Chief Minister of Assam.
The elections were fought amidst tense ethnic and sectarian relations. Dilip Chakraborty, a leader of the Bengali minority community, moved the Supreme Court in a writ petition claiming that the accord was violative of Articles 14 and 21 of the Constitution as well as of the Citizenship Act.
The Assamese Hindus largely supported the Asom Gana Parishad, but many tribals voted also for the Plain Tribals Council of Assam. The Bengali Muslims largely supported the United Minorities Front, and the Bengali Hindus largely supported the Communist Party of India. The Indian National Congress passed the IMDT Act after the 1983 Assam Legislative Assembly elections, but failed to retain the support of the Bengali immigrant population. Other national parties such as the Janata Party and the Bharatiya Janata Party suffered a rout. The Indian Congress led by former Chief Minister of Assam, Sarat Chandra Sinha, cut into the Indian National Congress vote.