The BJP-led front in Assam managed to win both the Rajya Sabha seats from the state, elections for which were held on Thursday.
BJP’s Pabitra Margherita and United Peoples Party Liberal (UPPL) candidate Rwngwra Narzary won the two Rajya Sabha seats.
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Congress’ Ripun Bora failed to secure the required number of votes and lost his seat in the Rajya Sabha.
“We won both the Rajya Sabha seats from Assam (one by the BJP and other by UPPL, our partner) by a huge margin of 11 and 9 votes respectively,” Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma said.
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Notably, BJP’s Pabitra Margherita bagged 46 votes, UPPL’s Rwngwra Narzary won 44 and Congress’ Ripun Bora secured only 35 votes.
The two Rajya Sabha seats from Assam fell vacant following retirement of Congress’ Ripun Bora and Ranee Narah.
With a strength of 82 MLAs, victory of BJP’s first-choice candidate was certain as he needed only 43 votes to win.
On the other hand, Congress and its allies were in a position to get its candidate elected from the second seat, with 44 MLAs in hand.
Also read: Assam Congress suspends two MLAs for violating party’s whip, cross-voting in Rajya Sabha elections
But rift within the opposition ranks allowed the BJP to bag both the seats.
This is the first time since independence that there will be no Congress MP from Assam in the Rajya Sabha.
The Congress in Assam has suspended two of its MLAs for allegedly violating the party’s whip and cross-voting in the Rajya Sabha elections.
Earlier, the Assam Congress had accused the AIUDF of ‘selling’ allegiance of five of its MLAs to the BJP for the Rajya Sabha elections.
“AIUDF has sold five of its MLAs to the BJP,” Assam Congress chief Bhupen Borah had alleged.