1996 Assam Legislative Assembly election
Elections to the Assam Legislative Assembly were held in April 1996 to elect members of 114 constituencies in Assam, India. The Indian National Congress won the popular vote, but the Asom Gana Parishad won the most seats and Prafulla Kumar Mahanta was appointed as the Chief Minister of Assam for his second term. The number of constituencies was set as 126, by the recommendation of the Delimitation Commission of India, but elections were held in only 122 constituencies. The constituencies of Dispur, Dergaon, Nazira and Margherita did not go to polls immediately, but they had polls in November 1996.
Background
In 1991, the Indian Army was tasked with executing Operation Rhino against the United Liberation Front of Assam. In 1993, the six-year agitation by the All Bodo Students' Union in Assam demanding a separate state within India ended with a peace accord that established an autonomous district council.The Chief Minister of Assam, Hiteswar Saikia, died in Delhi, on 22 April 1996, only 5 days before the election. Bhumidhar Barman was sworn in as interim chief-minister, but as the Indian National Congress failed to form the government after the elections, his tenure lasted 22 days. The party's defeat was attributed to Saikia's death, which unravelled the electoral coalition he had built up in opposition to the resurgent Asom Gana Parishad.
In 1991, former Home Minister, Bhrigu Kumar Phukan, formed the Natun Asom Gana Parishad in opposition to the policies of Asom Gana Parishad leader, Prafulla Kumar Mahanta. Phukan merged the NAGP back with the AGP before the 1996 elections. The AGP formed also a five-party pre-poll electoral alliance before the elections with the CPI, the CPI, the ASDC and the UMFA.