Assam by-polls: BJP retains 3 seats, AIUDF wrests 1 from Cong

The ruling BJP retained three of the four Assam Assembly constituencies where by-polls were held, while the opposition AIUDF wrested one seat, Jania, from the Congress pushing the saffron party to the third position.

BJP candidates won Ratabari, Sonari, and Rangapara constituencies defeating their nearest Congress nominees, Election Commission officials said after counting on Thursday.

In Ratabari seat, BJP's Bijoy Malakar bagged 68,455 votes and defeated Keshab Prasad Rajak by 24,001 votes.

Nabanita Handique (66,698 votes) of the BJP won Sonari in a straight fight defeating Sushil Kumar Suri by 15,430 votes. A total of 4241 votes (3.47 per cent) went to NOTA in this constituency.

The saffron party's Rajen Bortakur (78,301) won Rangapara with the highest margin of 49,599 votes. He defeated Kartik Kurmi, the officials said.

In the minority-dominated Jania constituency, Rafiqul Islam of All India United Democratic Front (AIUDF) bagged 81,780 seats. He defeated Shamsul Haque of the Congress by a margin of 35,141 votes. Actor turned politician Towfiqur Rahman of the BJP got 15,360 votes.

The BJP candidate had secured the third position also in the 2016 Assembly election when the BJP came to power in Assam defeating the Congress.

The by-election to the four Assembly constituencies was necessitated after two sitting BJP MLAs and ministers Pallab Lochan Das (Rangapara) and Tapan Gogoi (Sonari), Deputy Speaker Kripanath Mallah (Ratabari) and Congress MLA Abdul Khaleque (Jania) were elected to the Lok Sabha.

An estimated 75.95 per cent of over 6.79 lakh electorate had exercised their franchise in the by-polls on Monday.