Assam: Congress gains 32, loses 15 sitting MLAs

The Congress in Assam, winning a near absolute majority with 78 seats, has wrested 32 seats from its opponents but its 15 sitting MLAs, including two ministers, have lost their seats.

The Congress has gained the maximum number of 15 seats from the Asom Gana Parishad followed by seven seats from the Bharatiya Janata Party, four from All India United Democratic Front, five from Independents and one from the Communist Party of India.

Congress's major achievement was getting the scalp of the president's of both the opposition parties -- AGP and BJP.

AGP President Chandramohan Patowary's loss to former Congress MLA Neelmani Sen Deka in Dharmapur and BJP's state unit President Ranjit Dutta's debacle in Behali at the hand of an youth Congress leader and first time entrant into electoral fray Pallab Lochan Das was a huge embarrassment for both the parties.

The AGP, which managed to win only 10 seats, also had to face the defeat of several party stalwarts including former two-time chief minister Prafulla Kumar Mahanta in Samaguri though he managed to win in his home constituency Baharampur.

Former AGP President Brindabon Goswami also lost Tezpur, which he has been representing since 1985, to Congress' Rajen Barthakur.

The Congress also wrested the traditional AGP bastion of Nowgong, Dhekiajuli, Khumtai, Dergaon, Sarupathar, Chaygaon, Nalbari, Mangaldoi (SC), besides Gauhati (West), Abhayapuri (South), Chenga, Tingkhong and Amguri.

The Congress wiped out the BJP from the Barak Valley, where it had won five seats in 2006, wresting Ratabari, Patharkandi, Karimganj (North), Dholai and Borkhola. In Karimganj (North), the Congress wrested the seat from BJP's legislature party leader Mission Ranjan Das and in Borkhola it put up BJP sitting MLA, Rumi Nath, who was subsequently suspended for anti-party activities and joined the ruling party.

The Congress also wrested the Duliajan seat from the BJP.

The Congress made considerable dent into the minority dominated pockets of AIUDF, which emerged as the second largest party with 18 seats, gaining the four seats of Badarpur, Hailakandi, Raha and Hojai.

Former chief minister Hiteswar Saikia's eldest son Debabrata Saikia wrested the Nazira seat from veteran CPI leader Dhrupad Borgohain.

The two prominent seats in the Congress kitty are -- Bokakhat and Thowra, represented as independents by former ULFA militants Jiten Gogoi and Kushal Duwari respectively.

The Congress also wrested the seats of Bokajan (ST), Rangiya and Jonai from independents.

The Congress, however, lost 15 seats, including two ministers with six to AIUDF, five to AGP, three to BJP and one to BPF.

Culture and Sports Minister Bharat Chandra Narah lost in Dhakukhana, which he is representing since 1985, to AGP's Naba Kumar Doley while Irrigation Minister Nurjamal Sarkar lost to AGP's Prabin Hazarika in Bishwanath.

Excise Minister Gautam Roy's son Rahul Roy, sitting MLA of Algapur, lost to former AGP minister Sahidul Alam Choudhury and the party also lost to the regional party in Lakhimpur and Abhayapuri (North).

The AIUDF wrested Salmara (South), Goalpara (West), Jaleswar, Jania, Baghbor and Sarukhetri.

Two sitting women Congress MLAs of Pathacharkuchi and Kamalpur -- Moloya Barman and Uttara Kalita -- lost to the BJP whose candidate also wrested the Doomdooma seat from the ruling party sitting MLA.

Congress ally Bodoland Peoples' Front (BPF) wrested the Tamulpur seat whose sitting MLA Chandi Basumatary had contested the 2006 polls with BPF support but later joined the ruling party.