Guwahati | The counting of votes for 126 assembly constituencies in Assam began on Monday to decide whether the ruling NDA retains power for the third successive term or the Congress-led opposition alliance wrests it.

The electoral fate of 722 candidates will be decided at 40 centres, where counting began across all 35 districts at 8 am.

Most of the districts have a single centre comprising all constituencies in each district, barring Nagaon, which has three centres, and Kokrajhar, Tinsukia and Jorhat, which have two centres each.

The counting of the postal ballot will be taken up initially.

Security has been beefed up with 25 companies of central armed police forces (CAPFs) deployed to guard the strongrooms at the counting centres.

Polling in all 126 assembly constituencies in the state was held in a single phase on April 9 with a record 85.96 per cent of the over 2.5 crore voters having exercised their franchise.

The high-profile candidates include Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, state Congress president Gaurav Gogoi, Assembly Speaker Biswajit Daimary, Leader of the Opposition Debabrata Saikia, AIUDF chief Badruddin Ajmal, Raijor Dal chief and sitting MLA Akhil Gogoi, and Assam Jatiya Parishad (AJP) president Lurinjyoti Gogoi.

Several cabinet ministers, including AGP’s Atul Bora and Keshav Mahanta, and BPF’s Charan Boro, are also in the fray.

Among the 722 candidates, Congress has the highest number at 99, followed by BJP at 90, and AIUDF at 30. NDA allies AGP has 26 nominees, while BPF has 11.

Raijor Dal is contesting in 13 seats, AJP in 10, CPI(M) in three, APHLC in two, AAP and UPPL in 18 each, TMC in 22, JMM in 16, while there are also 258 Independent nominees.