110 out of 126 winners in Assam polls secured over 50% vote share: ADR

The winners in the recent Assam elections secured a larger share of the electorate, with an average of 50.12% of registered voters backing them, up from 44.47% in 2021.

The winners in the recent Assam elections represented a larger share of the electorate compared to the 2021 polls, according to an analysis by the Association for Democratic Reforms and Assam Election Watch.

The report, which analysed all the 126 constituencies in Assam that went to polls on April 9, said the voter turnout stood at 86.25 per cent, up from 82.24 per cent in 2021.

The winners, on average, secured 58.11 per cent of valid votes polled, compared to 54.08 per cent in the previous Assembly elections.

According to the analysis, 110 of the 126 winners, or 87 per cent, won with more than 50 per cent vote share in their constituencies, while only 16 secured victory with less than half of the valid votes polled.

The winners represented, on average, 50.12 per cent of registered voters, up from 44.47 per cent in 2021, indicating broader electoral backing.

The top three vote-share winners were Kaushik Rai of the BJP from Lakhipur with 81.49 per cent, Tuliram Ronghang of the BJP from Rongkhang with 75.72 per cent and Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma from Jalukbari with 74.42 per cent, the report said.

At the other end, the lowest vote shares among the winners were recorded by Wazed Ali Choudhury of the Congress from Birsing Jarua with 41.53 per cent, Rupam Chandra Roy of the Bodoland Peoples Front (BPF) from Baokhungri with 41.95 per cent, and Sherman Ali Ahmed of the Trinamool Congress from Mandia with 43.07 per cent.

Party-wise, the BJP accounted for the largest share of votes polled at 37.81 per cent, followed by the Congress at 29.84 per cent. The Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) secured 6.48 per cent and the AIUDF 5.46 per cent, while NOTA (none of the above) accounted for 1.23 per cent of the votes polled.

The ADR said that only two constituencies witnessed razor-thin victories with margins below 3,000 votes – Hajo-Sualkuchi, where AGP's Prakash Chandra Das won by 724 votes, and Bilasipara, where AGP's Jibesh Roy won by 2,694 votes.

Four winners registered margins exceeding 50 percentage points. Kaushik Rai posted the highest margin at 64.65 per cent in Lakhipur, followed by Tuliram Ronghang in Rongkhang at 54.80 per cent, Himanta Biswa Sarma in Jalukbari at 52.35 per cent, and Tanzil Hussain in Samaguri at 50.78 per cent.

The report also noted that 16 of the 21 winners with declared criminal cases secured vote shares above 50 per cent, while 94 of 105 winners with clean backgrounds crossed the same mark.

Among women, only seven were elected to the Assembly, all winning with vote shares exceeding 46 per cent.

BJP's Niso Terangpi from Diphu registered the highest vote share among women winners at 62.95 per cent.

The report also said that 63 MLAs were re-elected, with none securing less than 40 per cent vote share and 54 of them winning with more than 50 per cent vote share.

On voter rejection, the ADR said that 2,66,962 votes, or 1.23 per cent of the 2.16 crore votes polled, went to NOTA, with Barpeta recording the highest number of NOTA votes at 5,195.

According to the results declared on May 4, the BJP-led NDA retained power in Assam with the saffron party winning 82 seats on its own, comfortably crossing the majority mark in the 126-member House.

Its allies, the BPF and the AGP, secured 10 seats each.

The Congress won 19 seats, the AIUDF and Raijor Dal two seats each, while the Trinamool Congress secured one seat.