As Assam waits for the results of the 2026 Assembly elections, the Election Commission of India (ECI) has finished making all the necessary arrangements for counting day, which will be on May 4. Anurag Goel, the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO), said that all the necessary steps have been taken to make sure that the counting process is open, safe, and orderly across the state. As the state of Assam awaits the outcome of the 2026 Assembly elections, the Election Commission of India (ECI) has finalized rigorous preparations for counting day, scheduled for May 4. Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Anurag Goel confirmed that all necessary protocols are in place to ensure a transparent, secure, and orderly counting process across the state.
There will be 40 counting centers in all 35 district headquarters where the counting will take place. There are 126 counting observers in charge of the proceedings, and they are supported by a huge staff of almost 6,000 officials. The ECI has also added an extra layer of oversight by sending out 2,348 micro-observers. Their job is to keep an eye on the counting officials and report directly to the ECI observers to make sure everything is completely accurate and fair.
The safety of the Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) is still a big concern. Right now, strong rooms with the machines are being watched by CCTV cameras 24 hours a day, and Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) and state police officers are guarding them. The ECI has made things more open by letting candidates and their election agents look at the strong room doors if they want to. Also, a lot of security will stay in place until the EVMs are safely moved back to warehouses after the counting is done. This includes static duties in sensitive areas and the presence of assault group commanders.
Citizens and political stakeholders should expect a delay in the final results, which is important to note. CEO Goel said that the announcement of results might not happen until late at night. This change is because of a required ECI directive that says all Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT) slips must be counted, no matter how close the candidates were to winning.
This election cycle has been historic, with Assam seeing an impressive 86 percent of eligible voters cast their ballots. This is a big increase over the participation rates of 2016 (84.64 percent) and 2021 (82.02 percent). District administrations have been told to issue advisories limiting victory processions and large public gatherings to keep the peace after the results are announced. This step is meant to keep rival political groups from fighting and make sure that the state stays peaceful while it forms a new government.
