Guwahati, Nov 22 (IANS): Assam Congress president Bhupen Borah on Thursday said that the party's performance got better in the recently concluded by-elections compared to Lok Sabha polls.
He told reporters here: “I have collected feedback from grassroots party workers. Our performance was very good in the bypolls. The votes have increased by a good percentage compared to the Lok Sabha elections. In each of five constituencies where byelections were held, Congress party’s performance got much better.”
Borah, however, refrained from commenting on how many seats Congress will win the byelection rather he asserted that the opposition party has given a tough fight to the BJP.
“We have given very hard contest to the ruling dispensation. The result in each seat will be decided in the last leg of counting. The situation has changed compared to Lok Sabha polls.,” he mentioned.
Five assembly constituencies – Dholai, Samaguri, Behali, Bongaigaon, and Sidli became vacant following the elections of five legislators in the lower house of the parliament in this year’s Lok Sabha polls.
The Dholai Assembly constituency is reserved for the Scheduled Caste (SC) community and the Sidli seat is reserved for the Scheduled Tribe (ST).
Except in Samaguri, where Congress heavyweight Rakibul Hussain has been winning since 2001, the rest of the four seats are with the BJP-led alliance.
The BJP gave candidates in three seats — Dholai, Samaguri and Behali.
Diplu Ranjan Sarma contested in Samaguri while Diganta Ghatowar and Nihar Ranjan Das are fighting for the BJP in Behali and Dholai assembly segments respectively.
BJP’s former cabinet minister Parimal Suklabaidya successfully contested in the Silchar Lok Sabha seat and his earlier Assembly seat Dholai was vacant. Another senior BJP leader Ranjit Dutta was elected to the lower house of the parliament this time. He was representing the Behali seat in the assembly.
Rakibul Hussain defeated the three-time AIUDF MP and party chief Badruddin Ajmal in the Dhubri Lok Sabha seat with a margin of more than 10 lakh votes reinforcing his status as a five-time legislator from Samuguri assembly seat.