Zeenews Bureau
Guwahati: Congress got a comfortable majority in the Assam Assembly Elections as the party won 77 out of the total 126 seats. This means that incumbent Tarun Gogoi will be the Chief Minister for third term in a row.
The opposition Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) and BJP won in only 10 and 4 seats respectively. Others including independents won in 35 seats.
CM Gogoi retained his Titabor seat for third consecutive term defeating his nearest AGP rival by 54514 votes.
The party also won from Teok, Bokajan (ST) and Jalukbari constituencies. Membor Gogoi won from Teok for the third straight time, defeating AGP`s Hemanta Kalita by 29,899 votes.
From Bokajan (ST) seat, Kiengdoong Engti defeated independent Jagat Singh Engti by 16,809 votes, while in Jalukbari Health Minister Himanta Sarma won for the third time defeating his BJP rival by a record 77,161 votes.
Congress candidate Bharat Chandra Narah, MLA for the last 25 years, lost to AGP`s Nabakumar Toley by a margin of 5,600 from Dhakuakhana.
In a big boost for the Trinamool Congress, which romped to power in West Bengal, the party for the first time won in Assam with its candidate Dwipen Pathak from Hajo defeating former Lok Sabha MP Kirip Chaliha of Congress by 500 votes. Trinamool contested in 112 seats.
Meanwhile, former two-time chief minister and AGP leader Prafulla Kumar Mahanta lost from Samaguri where Congress’ Rockybul Hussain won.
Speaking to reporters, a smiling Gogoi said economic development helped the Congress return to power. The peace initiative with ULFA could also have been a factor that propelled votes in Gogoi’s favour.
Gogoi added that his was a clean government with no charges of corruption against any of his ministers. The CM also didn’t forget to thank party chief Sonia Gandhi for being supportive throughout.
Though the Congress appears to be in a position to form the government on its own without the support of other parties, Gogoi said its ally "BPF would continue to be a part of the government as it had helped it in difficult times".
An estimated 76 percent of Assam`s nearly 18 million voters had exercised their franchise on April 4 and 11.
In 2006, the Congress won 53 seats, the AGP 24, and the BJP and AUDF 10 each.
