Step 1: Recall the endemic belt. Kala-azar (visceral leishmaniasis) in India is concentrated in the eastern states. The endemic states are Bihar, Jharkhand, West Bengal and Uttar Pradesh.
Step 2: Apply to the options. West Bengal, Uttar Pradesh and Bihar are all listed endemic states, so they are NOT the exception.
Step 3: Find the odd one out. Assam is not part of this classical kala-azar endemic belt for the purposes of this question, so the answer to the except question is Assam, option (d).
Step 4: Note the vector context. Kala-azar is transmitted by the sandfly Phlebotomus argentipes, which thrives in the alluvial plains of the Bihar-West Bengal region, explaining the geographic clustering.