Guwahati, June 4: The ruling BJP-led alliance is on course to win 11 Lok Sabha seats in Assam even as the Opposition Congress is poised to have the last laugh in three seats, the Election Commission of India informed on Tuesday evening.
As expected, BJP allies, regional party Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) and United Peoples’ Party Liberal (UPPL) were leading in two seats, Barpeta and Kokrajhar respectively around 7pm, with the counting process nearing its final stages.
The election is also poised to see the Badruddin Ajmal-led All India United Democratic Front (AIUDF) scoring a blank
Former Assam chief minister and senior BJP leader Sarbananda Sonowal was set to win the Dibrugarh Lok Sabha seat by a handsome margin against Assam Jatiya Parishad’s Lurinjyoti Gogoi, leading by 276397 votes when reports last came in.
BJP’s Dilip Saikia was leading in the newly-created Darrang-Udalguri seat against Madhab Rajbangshi of Indian National Congress, by over 3.18 lakh votes, while in another newly-created seat, Kaziranga, BJP’s Kamakhya Prasad Tasa was leading by over 2.32 lakh votes against Congress’ Roselina Tirkey.
Likewise, BJP’s Ranjit Dutta was poised to win by a big margin in Sonitpur; while sitting MP Pradan Baruah in Lakhimpur; Bijuli Kalita Medhi in Guwahati, Amar Sing Tisso in Diphu; and Cabinet minister Parimal Suklabaidya in Silchar, also from the saffron party, are also poised to win by big margins.
However, in what has been a see-saw battle throughout the day, BJP’s Kripanath Mallah was leading against Congress Hafiz Rashid Ahmed Choudhury in Karimganj by a relatively slender margin of 37269 votes, as per the ECI report on Tuesday evening.
On the other hand, AGP’s Phani Bhushan Choudhury is heading towards victory in Barpeta while UPPL’s Joyanta Basumatary is also set to win in Kokrajhar.
Congress, who are poised to bag at least three Lok Sabha seats in the state, have made an impression with party leader Rakibul Hussain poised to win the Dhubri seat, a minority bastion, by a margin of over 9 lakh votes against three-time MP Md Badruddin Ajmal from All India United Democratic Front (AIUDF) and finally end the latter’s winning streak.
On the other hand, Congress leader and Lok Sabha deputy leader of Opposition Gaurav Gogoi is set to win in Jorhat by over 1.40 lakh votes against the incumbent MP and BJP leader Topon Kumar Gogoi.
Likewise, Congress leader and sitting MP Pradyut Bordoloi in Nagaon is to retain his seat, leading against BJP’s Suresh Borah by over 2 lakh votes.
Notably, the BJP-led NDA contested all the 14 seats in Assam, with the BJP fielding candidates in 11, AGP in two seats and UPPL in one seat.
The Congress, part of the 16-party United Opposition Forum Assam (UOFA), contested 13 seats, leaving Dibrugarh for the Assam Jatiya Parishad. The AIUDF contested three seats, while AAP contested two.
It may be recalled that in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, BJP bagged nine seats, Congress three, AIUDF one, while an Independent candidate won one seat.