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BJP loses some ground in northeastern states, Cong ups game
The Bharatiya Janata Party and its National Democratic Alliance (NDA) allies lost some ground in India’s northeast in Tuesday’s election, while the opposition Congress party made gains
The Bharatiya Janata Party and its National Democratic Alliance (NDA) allies lost some ground in India’s northeast in Tuesday’s election, while the opposition Congress party made gains.
BJP and its allies won 15 of the 24 seats across seven northeastern states. The BJP secured 13 seats and alliance partners Asom Gana Parishad and United Peoples Party Liberal took one each in Assam.
Congress won seven seats, a gain from the four it held previously. Regional parties Voice of People Party and Zoram Peoples Movement, unaffiliated with either major alliance, picked up one seat apiece. In the 2019 election, the NDA had won 18 seats in the region.
In Assam, which has 14 Lok Sabha seats, the BJP tally remained at nine. Union minister Sarbananda Sonowal retained his Dibrugarh seat, defeating Assam Jatiya Parishad president Lurinjyoti Gogoi.
“The results in Assam are as per our expectations,” Sonowal said. “Voters across India want another term for Narendra Modi as prime minister.”
Congress deputy leader Gaurav Gogoi won from Jorhat, while the party’s Rakibul Hussain ousted AIUDF chief Badruddin Ajmal in Dhubri by nearly 900,000 votes.
“This is a victory of the people and of democracy. I would like to thank all voters, especially the new ones. This is the new beginning for Assam and its people,” Gogoi said.
In Arunachal Pradesh, Union minister Kiren Rijiju and state party president Tapir Gao retained their seats for the BJP.
Rijiju defeated state Congress president and former chief minister Nabam Tuki by over 100,000 votes while Gao ousted Bosiram Siram, working president of the Congress in the state, by a margin of 30,421 votes.
In Tripura, BJP recorded a clean sweep by winning both seats with huge margins. Former chief minister Biplab Kumar Deb won Tripura West by defeating Congress state president Asish Kumar Saha by a margin of over 600,000 votes. In Tripura East, Kriti Devi Debbarman, sister of Tipra Motha chief Pradyot Debbarman, defeated CPM’s Rajendra Reang by over 486,000 votes. In 2019, BJP had won both these seats.
However, the BJP and allies suffered upsets in Manipur, Nagaland and Mizoram, where Congress and regional parties made inroads. Meghalaya saw wins for the Voice of People Party and Congress.
“The verdict in favour of Congress in both the seats indicate the frustration of voters against the BJP governments at Centre and in the state,” Manipur Congress president K Meghachandra Singh said.
In Nagaland’s lone Lok Sabha seat, Congress candidate, S Supongmeren Jamir defeated Chumben Murry, the candidate from ruling Nationalist Democratic Progressive Party (NDPP) by over 50,000 votes. Murry has the support of all 60 candidates in the state assembly including those from ruling BJP. NDPP won the seat in 2019.
In Mizoram, ruling Zoram People’s Movement (ZPM) candidate Richard Vanlalhmangaiha defeated Mizo National Front’s K Vanlalvena by over 68,000 votes. In 2019, MNF, which is an NDA ally, won the seat.
In Meghalaya, Voice of People Party (VPP) candidate Ricky Andrew J Syngkon defeated sitting Congress MP, Vincent H Pala by over 370,000 votes in the Shillong seat. In the Tura seat, Congress candidate Saleng A Sangma defeated the sitting National People’s Party MP, Agatha Sangma by over 150,000 votes. In 2019, Congress had won the Shillong seat while NPP had bagged Tura.
“Our victory shows that voters in Meghalaya are fed up of both Congress and National Peoples’ Party, which is part of the NDA, and are clamouring for change. We are yet to decide on whether to support NDA or INDIA at the Centre,” VPP president Ardent Miller Basaiwmoit told HT.
