New Delhi, April 7 -- On a cool, rainy April day, a group of women sell vegetables on the roadside in Motha Dang village in Sivasagar, upper Assam. They are vocal about their choices and motivations in the upcoming election.

"We have received a lot of benefits from the government-cash transfers, free ration, rural houses, gas connections and more. Plus, it has made roads, highways and bridges," says Pranali Kalita Bora, noting that the government has done a lot for women and for the poor. Biju Saikia, Kalpana Saikia and Deepika Gogoi concur with that summation.

As with the last election, infrastructure and welfare delivery have again emerged as the biggest buzzwords in the run-up to this election. Despite chief minister Himanta Biswa Sa...