Bypoll results: BJP scores big wins in North East

It was an all-smiles day for BJP and its allies in Assam, Meghalaya and Mizoram on Wednesday as it won all eight Assembly seats that went for bypolls

It was an all-smiles day for BJP and its allies in Assam, Meghalaya and Mizoram on Tuesday as it won all eight Assembly seats that went for bypolls on October 30.

The ruling BJP won the three seats it contested in Assam while United People's Party Liberal (UPPL), its ally in Bodoland region, won the two others.

In Meghalaya, ruling NPP won the two seats while candidate of its ally, UDP bagged the third seat. The ruling Mizo National Front (MNF) won the Tuirial Assembly seat in Mizoram.

Sushanta Borgohain and Rupjyoti Kurmi, who were Congress turncoats in Thorwa and Mariani Assembly constituencies in upper Assam won the bypolls for BJP while Phanidhar Talukdar retained the Bhawanipur seat in western Assam, which he won as AIUDF candidate in the Assembly elections held in March-April. Thowra and Mariani were Congress's strongholds but the opposition party was pushed to the backfoot after Borgohain and Kurmi joined BJP in June and August, respectively.

Read | Congress upbeat about bypoll results, says it still has in it to take on BJP

Borgohain defeated his rival Dhaijya Konwar of Akhil Gogoi-led Raijor Dal by a margin of 30,561 votes while Kurmi won by a margin of 40,104 votes over Congress' Luhit Konwar.

In Bhawanipur, Talukdar registered victory by a margin of 25,641 votes over Sailendra Nath Das of Congress.

Jiron Basumatary of UPPL wrested Gossaigaon seat from BPF, an ally of Congress in the Assembly polls. Basumatary defeated Jowel Tudu of Congress by 28,252 votes. UPPL also retained the Tamulpur seat when its candidate Jolen Daimary won by defeating Independent candidate, Ganesh Kochari.

Bye-elections in Thowra, Mariani and Bhawanipur were necessitated after the sitting MLAs switched over to BJP. Bypolls in Tamulpur and Gossaigaon were conducted due to death of the sitting MLAs.

The bypolls victory in Assam led BJP to increase its seat count from 59 to 62 in the 126-member Assembly. Meanwhile, the UPPL's count increased to six. Congress's tally came down to 27 after the loss in Mariani and Thowra.

"This is a loud endorsement to the faith on Prime Minister Narendra Modi's leadership," Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said.

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Congress in Assam said BJP candidates won as Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma made big promises of development of the five constituencies, during campaigning.

"People did not want to vote against the ruling party as BJP would be in power for another four and half years," newly appointed president of Assam Pradesh Congress Committee, Bhupen Kumar Borah told reporters in Guwahati. Borah, however, defended the party's decision to contest the bypolls alone saying the decision was taken in order to strengthen its base for the Lok Sabha elections in 2024 and Assembly elections in 2026.

Meghalaya, Mizoram results:

Candidates of ruling National People's Party (NPP), Md. Abdus Saleh and Pyniaid Sing Syiem wrested the Rajabala and Mawryngkneng seats respectively, from Congress. Former footballer, Eugeneson Lyngdoh, who was fielded by United Democratic Party (UDP), an NPP ally in the Meghalaya Democratic Alliance government won the Mawphalang seat.

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In the Turial Assembly seat in Mizoram, K. Laldawngliana of ruling Mizo National Front (MNF) defeated his nearest rival Laltlanmawia of the Zoram People’s Movement (ZPM) by a margin of 1,284 votes. A ZPM-backed candidate had won the seat in the 2018 Assembly polls.

NPP, UDP and MNF are part of North East Democratic Alliance (NEDA), a forum of BJP's regional allies in the Northeast. NEDA was formed in 2017 with Sarma as convenor after BJP formed its first government in Assam in 2016.

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