Assam bypolls: BJP and its allies leading on all five seats

Guwahati: Votes are being counted in five assembly seats in Assam amid tight security. According to the latest trend, the BJP and its allies are leading in all five seats of the state. Congress candidates have been trailing, including Samaguri, a party bastion, where Rakibul Hussain represented the constituency in the Assembly since 2001.

The five seats went vacant after five legislators, including a cabinet minister, were elected to the Lok Sabha. These included two MLAs from the ruling BJP, including a cabinet minister, one each from alliance partners -- Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) and United Peoples Party Liberal (UPPL), and one from the opposition Congress.

BJP’s former cabinet Minister Parimal Suklabaidya successfully contested in the Silchar Lok Sabha seat and his earlier assembly seat Dholai got vacant.

Meanwhile, another senior BJP leader Ranjit Dutta was elected to the lower house of the parliament. He was representing the Behali seat in the Assembly.

The AGP opened its account in the parliament this time with its senior leader Phani Bhusan Choudhury being elected from Barpeta Lok Sabha seat. The party contested in two parliamentary constituencies in the state, however, it lost in Dhubri to Congress candidate Rakibul Hussain.

Choudhury was a six-time MLA from Bongaigaon assembly segment. When AGP fielded him in the Barpeta Lok Sabha seat to fight parliamentary elections, supporters of Choudhury opposed the party’s decision and urged Choudhury to remain the MLA of Bongaigaon.

Congress leader Rakibul Hussain defeated the three-time AIUDF MP and party chief Badruddin Ajmal in the Dhubri Lok Sabha seat with a margin of more than 10 lakh votes reinforcing his status as a five-time legislator from Samuguri assembly seat.

Meanwhile, UPPL's Joyanta Basumatary, the former MLA from Sidli, also made headlines by securing the Kokrajhar seat.

The BJP contested bypolls in three assembly seats -- Dholai, Samaguri and Behali. Diplu Ranjan Sarma was given a ticket in Samaguri while Diganta Ghatowar and Nihar Ranjan Das are fighting for the BJP in Behali and Dholai assembly segments respectively.

The two allies of the ruling party -- Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) contested bypolls in the Bongaigaon assembly constituency while United People’s Party Liberal (UPPL) fielded its candidate in Sidli seat.

On the other hand, the Congress party fought byelections in all five assembly seats.