Lok Sabha results: Saffron surge sweeps Northeast states too

Guwahati/Itanagar/Shillong/Gangtok/ Aizawl, May 23 (PTI/IANS): The saffron surge that swept the entire country on Thursday also gripped India’s north-east with the BJP leading in 14 out of the total 25 seats in the eight northeastern states.

In Assam, BJP is leading in nine out of the 14 Lok Sabha seats including Autonomous Council (Diphu), Dibrugarh, Guwahati, Jorhat, Karimganj, Lakhimpur, Mangaldai, Tezpur and Silchar seats while the party is also leading in the two Lok Sabha seats each in Arunachal Pradesh and Tripura, and one of the two Lok Sabha seats in Manipur.

The BJP is ruling in Arunachal Pradesh, Tripura and in Manipur state assemblies.

In Assam, the Congress is likely to retain its tally of three seats this time winning the Kaliabar, Nowgong and Barpeta Lok Sabha seats. While Kaliabar is a fortress of Congress, the party is likely to gain in Barpeta and Nowgong Lok Sabha seats, which were held by All India United Democratic Front (AIUDF) and BJP respectively in the past.

Nowgong Lok Sabha seat is important as Nowgong used to be a citadel of the BJP held by sitting MP and Union Minister of state for railway, Rajen Gohain.

BJP’s alliance partner, Asom Gana Parishad (AGP), who contested three seats failed to make any impact.

The AIUDF led by Badruddin Ajmal in Assam is likely to retain the Dhubri Lok Sabha seat. The Kokrajhar Lok Sabha seat in Assam is likely to be retained by sitting Lok Sabha MP, Naba Kumar Sarania, an Independent candidate.

Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal credited the Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the victory, saying the people of the country have reposed faith in the visionary leadership of the Prime Minister.

Pawan Chamling era ends in Sikkim after over 24 years

 

 

Five-time Chief Minister Pawan Kumar Chamling’s era ended in Sikkim on Thursday after over 24 years in power as his party SDF lost the state elections to a resurgent SKM.

While Sikkim Democratic Front (SDF) got 15 seats in the hill state, Sikkim Krantikari Morcha, which came into being in 2013, bagged 17 seats, one more than required for a majority in the 32-member Assembly.

Arunachal Pradesh: Pema Khandu wins from Mukto

Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Pema Khandu won from the Mukto assembly constituency for the third consecutive time, defeating his lone rival Thupten Kunphen of the Congress by a margin of 2,602 votes.

Khandu won the seat in 2011 bye-election and was re- elected unopposed in 2014.

His political journey began after his father and former chief minister Dorjee Khandu died in a helicopter crash near Luguthang in Tawang district in April 2011.

The ruling BJP in the state has so far won 25 seats, including three unopposed, out of 35 seats.

While Janata Dal United (JDU) made its debut in the state with six seats, the opposition Congress has won three.

Independent candidates have won two seats, the NPP and the PPA one each

Meghalaya: Agatha, Pala emerge victorious

Former Union Minister and National People’s Party (NPP) candidate Agatha Sangma has made her way back to national politics by winning the Tura Lok Sabha seat, while incumbent Congress MP Vincent Pala retained the Shillong seat on Thursday.

Agatha (38), who is the younger sister of Chief Minister Conrad Sangma and daughter of former Lok Sabha Speaker late Purno Sangma, defeated her nearest rival AND former Chief Minister Mukul Sangma of the Congress by a margin of 63,775 votes.

Agatha polled 3,03,848 votes while Mukul Sangma got 2,40,073 votes.

The NPP is an ally of the Bharatiya Janata Party-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA).

Former Union Minister and Congress leader Pala defeated his nearest rival and United Democratic Party (UDP) candidate Jemino Mawthoh by a thumping margin of 1,52,139 votes. Pala polled 4,19,232 votes while Mawthoh secured 2,67,093 votes.

The Congress has not won the Tura Lok Sabha seat ever since the late Purno Sangma parted ways with the party. The last time it won from Tura was when Purno Sangma won in 1998.

Agatha’s victory has also established the fact that no other candidate could defeat the Sangma family from Tura so far.

“It was a very tough fight (contesting against a former Chief Minister) but it has been a very fruitful election. I want to thank everybody who spent so much time and energy for my campaign,” Agatha told journalists in Tura.

Meanwhile, the NPP has increased its strength to 21 in the 60-member Assembly after its candidate Ferlin C.A. Sangma won the bye-election to the Selsella Assembly constituency.

Ferlin defeated Congress candidate June Eliana R. Marak by a margin of 4,369 votes. The victory has helped the NPP emerge as the single largest party in the state.

The bye-election to the Selsella Assembly constituency was necessitated following the demise of sitting Congress MLA and former Minister Clement R. Marak, the husband of June Eliana R. Marak.

The NPP is leading the Meghalaya Democratic Alliance (MDA) government with the support of its partners, the UDP (7), BJP (2), People’s Democratic Front (4), Hill State People’s Democratic Party (2), NCP (1) and three Independents.

Mizoram: MNF’s Zothantluanga wins Aizawl West-I by-poll

MNF’s Zothantluanga won the by-election to the Aizawl West-I Assembly constituency in Mizoram by a margin of 7,035 votes, officials said.

Zothantluanga got 12,309 of the total 18,154 votes polled. His nearest candidate, Lalbuanga Sailo (Independent), who was supported by the Zoram People’s Movement(ZPM)-Congress combine, bagged 5,322 votes, Returning Officer Vanlalngaihsaka said.

Zothantluanga (65), a former student leader, is currently adviser to the ruling MNF or Mizo National Front.

He has been a lieutenant when the party was underground and is one of the founding leaders of the Mizo Students Union (MSU).

The by-poll was held as ZPM leader Lalduhoma vacated the seat which he won in the November 28 state elections and decided to retain the Serchip constituency.

From Manipur to Darjeeling: BJP’s Raju Bista set to represent hill-station in Parliament

 

A resident of Manipur’s Kangpokpi district, 33-yr-old Raju Bista is all set to represent Darjeeling in the Parliament with victory almost certain if not declared. Raju, a BJP candidate from Darjeeling in West Bengal is a Gorkha entrepreneur from Manipur.

He is on his way to become the new MP of Darjeeling as he is leading the Lok Sabha poll race by a huge margin of 341921 votes leaving behind his closest rival, AITC’s Amar Singh Rai.

Raju was a BJP candidate suggested by the RSS. He is an old RSS worker, and had joined Sangh pariwar in 1998.

Killed by militants, Aboh retains assembly seat

Tirong Aboh, the National Peoples Party (NPP) candidate who was gunned down by suspected NSCN militants, has retained the Khonsa West assembly constituency in Arunachal Pradesh.

Aboh, who was killed along with 10 others at 12 mile area in Tirap district on May 21, has defeated his lone rival Phawang Lowang of the BJP by 1055 votes as per results declared by the Election Commission Thursday.

This is the first time that NPP has entered the electoral scene of Arunachal Pradesh thanks to Aboh but its win will be shortlived as the EC will soon announce the mandatory by-poll in the seat.

Aboh was elected from the constituency in 2014 on Peoples Party of Arunachal (PPA) ticket.

He was on his way to Khonsa from Dibrugarh on the fateful day when the suspected Naga militants opened fire on his convoy consisting four vehicles and killed him along with his son and nine others. Among the dead were two police personnel, officials said.

Deputy Chief Electoral Officer Liken Koyu said that the Election Commission has to conduct by-election in the seat within six months as per rules.

Tripura: Post-poll violence mars counting day

Reports of violence and intimidation have started coming from different parts of the state. Opposition CPI (M) and Congress alleged political vendetta being meted out against them.

CPI (M), which held both Lok Sabha seats in Tripura for last six consecutive Parliament elections, today, announced to have withdrawn election agents from all counting halls in West Tripura seat in the face of purported violence and assaults.

Meanwhile, two vehicles including a car of a Congress leader were set ablaze at Bishalgarh in Sepahijala district, 30 km from Agartala, around 3 PM this afternoon.

A Congress counting agent Krishnendu Das was injured inside a counting station at Umakanta Academy in Agartala this morning where counting for West Tripura constituency is going on.

The agent told reporters that he was assaulted right after third round of counting started on Thursday.

“First round and second round of counting was going on well. At the beginning of second round, we (Congress agents) were told we would be assaulted in the third round. All agents left the counting stations by signing. I was signing attendance sheet for leaving when BJP supporters attacked me”, Das said.

Tripura Congress president Pradyot Kishore Debburman took to Facebook this afternoon and alleged widespread violence during counting hours in the state.