Reetu Raj, BeyondHeadlines
The Congress in Assam is set to return to power for the third consecutive term leading comfortably in 75 constituencies in the 126-seat Assembly.
Its alliance partner Bodoland Peoples Front (BPF) has also performed creditably in the Bodoland districts leading in 12 constituencies.
The Congress appears to be in a position to form government on its own without the support of other parties, though Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi has said the “BPF would continue to be a part of the government as it had helped it in difficult times”.
The AGP and BJP were leading in only seven and three seats, respectively. The AIUDF is leading in 15 seats, while CPI(M), CPI and NCP are yet to open their accounts, according to trends for 112 seats available.
Gogoi is leading in Titabor along with his cabinet colleagues Bhumidhar Barman (Barkhetri), Nurjamal Sarkar (Biswanath), Nazrul Islam (Lahorighat), Himanta Biswa Sarma (Jalukbari), Gautam Bora (Batadraba), Pradyut Bordoloi (Margharita), Ajanta Neog (Golaghat), Akan Bora (Dispur), Bharat Narah (Dhakuwakhana), Prithivi Majhi (Lahowal) are the prominent Congress candidates ahead in the electoral race.
AGP president Chandra Mohan Patowary (Dharmapur), former president Brindaban Goswami (Tezpur), party general secretary Hiten Goswami (Jorhat), sitting Nalbari MLA Alaka Desai Sarma are trailing.
BJP state unit president and Bihali sitting MLA Ranjit Dutta, Karimganj North sitting MLA and leader of the party in the assembly Mission Ranjan Das and Dibrugarh sitting party MLA Prasanta Phukan are trailing.
Former two-time chief minister and opposition leader Prafulla Kumar Mahanta is leading in his home constituency Baharampur, but is trailing in Samaguri behind forest minister Rockybul Hussain.
Sitting AGP MLAs ahead in the race are Padma Hazarika from Sootea, Girindra Kumar Baruah from Nowgong and Kesab Mahanta from Koliabor.
Former ULFA militants and sitting independent MLAS are showing mixed trends with Bokakhat MLA Jiten Gogoi trailing behind Congress, while Thowra MLA Kushal Duwari ahead of his nearest Congress rival.
Congress alliance partner BPF’s agriculture minister Pramilla Rani Brahma is leading in Kokrajhar West along with her two other party ministers Chandan Brahma (Sidli) and Rihon Daimary (Udalguri ST).
Former AGP ministers Atul Bora (Dispur), Ramendra Narayan Kalita (Guwahati West) and Jagadish Bhuyan (Sadiya) are also trailing.
Sitting Congress MLA and former minister (Capt) Robin Bordoloi (Guwahati East), former Lok Sabha MP Kirip Chaliha (Hajo), former Union minister Santosh Mohan Dev’s daughter Sushmita Dev (Silchar), Union minister and MP Paban Singh Ghatowar’s wife and sitting Moran MLA Jibontara Ghatowar are also leading.
The oldest sitting MLA and former minister Gobinda Langthasa is leading in Haflong.
