KOLKATA: The Narendra Modi mania routed the ruling Congress in Assam as it managed to win only three Lok Sabha seats in the elections with the BJP bagging seven seats for the first time in the history of the state.
The Congress had to remain content with four more seats from other north-eastern states - two from Manipur, and one each from Mizoram and Meghalaya.
The people of entire Brahmaputra valley of Assam which was once a stronghold of the Asom Gana Parishad that had led a movement against infiltration from Bangladesh, but later of the Congress, threw their weight behind the BJP.
In 2009, the BJP had won only four seats. This time all BJP stalwarts tasted success. Party state president Sarbananda Sonowal defeated Ranee Narah, Union Minister from Lakhimpur; BJP MLA Rameshwar Teli defeated Union Minister Paban Singh Ghatowar from Dibrugarh, while Kamakhya Tasa defeated former union minister Bejoy Handique.
Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi offered to resign taking the blame of defeat. His son Gaurav Gogoi of the Congress could barely scratch through from Koliabour constituency which had been held by the family for decades.
The tribal dominated Karbi Anglong (ST) seat was retained by Biren Singh Engti but Bengali dominated Silchar constituency sprang a surprise as daughter of former Union Minister Santosh Mohan Deb Susmita Deb managed to win.
As expected the Muslim majority constituencies of Dhubri, Barpeta and Karimganj (SC) were won by the All-India United Democratic Front. While Badruddin Ajmal retained his Dhubri seat, his brother Sirajuddin Ajmal won from Barpeta and Radheshyam Biswas emerged victorious from Karimjang (SC) seat.
For the first time in the electoral history of Assam a non-Bodo candidate Naba Kumar Sarania aka Hira of the United People’s Front won from Kokrajhar (ST) constituency. Hira, a former commander of the banned ULFA won with a margin of over 3.5 lakh votes. Even in the once stronghold of Nagaland it was humbled by the ruling Naga People’s Front nominee and in Meghalaya lost one of the two constituencies to former Lok Sabha Speaker Purno Sangma of National People’s Party.
The Congress nominee Vincent Pala for the other seat in Meghalaya managed to win.