Guwahati, March 10: The ruling BJP on Thursday retained the high-profile Majuli seat, with party candidate Bhuban Gam defeating his nearest rival and Opposition’s ‘consensus’ candidate, Chittaranjan Basumatary from Assam Jatiya Parishad (AJP), by a mammoth margin of 42141 votes.
Gam garnered as many as 67242 votes while Basumatary bagged 25,101 votes.
It may be noted that out of the total enrolled electorate of 1, 33, 227 voters, 95, 600 exercised their right to vote on March 7, 2022.
The saffron party’s victory, which came a day after it swept the civic polls, was on expected lines, and as predicted by experts, it was all about the margin of the triumph that the ruling party was looking at as the counting day progressed.
An elated Gam later thanked the electorate of Majuli and the party leadership while assuring to work to the best of his abilities for the residents of the river island who are apparently pinning hopes on better communication and respite from the decades-long erosion menace.
“I can neither lie nor make false promises to the people. But I will keep working and do the best I can for the constituency,” said Gam, a social worker and businessman from the Mising community who was nominated by the saffron party to ‘replace’ former Assam chief minister Sarbananda Sonowal, who vacated the seat after being elected to the Rajya Sabha last year,
Expressing gratitude to the electorate of the river island for reposing faith on the ruling alliance’s candidate, Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said that “The big win of BJP candidate Bhuban Gam in the by-poll to Majuli LAC reflects public trust on the Prime Minister’s agenda of growth and his vision of ‘Sabka Saath Sabka Vikas Sabka Vishwas Sabka Prayas’…”
Apart from BJP’s Gam and Opposition’s ‘consensus’ nominee, Basumatary, there was one more candidate, Bhaity Richong of the SUCI(C), in the fray.
It may be mentioned that the Majuli district administration had ensured foolproof counting of votes polled in the by-election. Security measures were beefed up to ensure smooth conduct of the counting process with three-layer security arrangements made in the counting centres.
Counting of votes started at 8am on Thursday.
Gam, who had gained a handsome lead (garnering close to 70 percent votes by evening) over Basumatary from the first round itself, sustained the lead from morning till the end of counting.
The Assam chief electoral officer had directed the district election authorities to ensure that all laid-down instructions of the Election Commission of India was adhered to and compliance of COVID-19 guidelines ensured at each counting hall.
Accordingly, the DEO has made elaborate arrangements for smooth and safe counting in Majuli LAC. The Commission has designated returning officers and assistant returning officers for the purpose of counting.
It may be mentioned that the polling process was conducted peacefully with a healthy voter turnout of 71.76 percent.