The safforn surge continued in Assam as the BJP on Tuesday could snatch one seat from the Congress in the by-election to the three legislative Assembly constituencies in Assam, which were held on Saturday.
While the BJP grabbed the Silchar seat from the Congress, the ruling Congress in Assam could retain the lakhipur legislative Assembly seat. The All India United Democratic Front, on the other hand, retained the Jamunamukh seat.
Election officials said that BJP candidate Dilip Kumar Paul polled 74,898 votes in Silchar constituency while the Congress candidate Arun Dutta Majumdar could poll only 37,457 votes in the bypoll. The AIUDF candidate Nur Ahmed Barbhuyan polled 11,203 votes.
The ruling party, however, retained the lakhipur seat. The Congress had fielded Rajdeep Goala, son of former sitting legislator of Congress Dinesh Prasad Goala, who polled 39,159. While the BJP candidate Sanjay Thakur polled 29,322 votes in the constituency, the AIUDF candidate Mukesh Pandey could poll only 22,590 votes in the constituency.
The AIUDF candidate and son of AIUDF chief Badaruddin Ajmal, Abdur Rahim Ajmal retained the Jamunamukh seat by polling 62,153 votes. While his nearest rival from the Congress Bashir Uddin laskar could could poll 39,194 votes in the constituency, BJP candidate Bilal Uddin could polled only 13,868 votes.
The BJP candidate in Silchar polled the highest votes in the by polls for the three legislative Assembly constituencies.
The bypoll for Silchar constituency was necessitated after Congress legislator Sushmita Dev’s election to the lok Sabha, while the Jamunamukh seat was vacated by AIUDF leader Sirajuddin Ajmal after he got elected to the lok Sabha from Barpeta. The lakhipur seat, however, fell vacant after the death of sitting legislator and former Minister Dinesh Prasad Goala.
In the lok Sabha polls earlier this year, the BJP had won seven seats out of the total 14 seats while the Congress, which has been in power in Assam since 2001, could win only
three seats.
The AIUDF led by perfume baron Moulana Badaruddin Ajmal won three seats. Another Independent candidate a seat in the lok Sabha polls.