Photographs: Reba kumar Borah
The Congress stormed back to power in Assam for the third consecutive time on Friday, securing an absolute majority, bagging 69 seats in the 126-member assembly.
Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi not only won by a handsome margin of 54,514 votes but also ensured that most of his cabinet colleagues emerged victorious.
The only disappointment for the Congress was the loss of two ministers -- Culture and Sports Minister Bharat Chandra Narah from Dhakuakhana and Irrigation Minister Nurjamal Sarkar from Bishwanath.
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Gogoi wins for the 3rd time, Assam celebrates
Photographs: Reba kumar Borah
The main opposition Asom Gana Parishad, with 24 MLAs in the last assembly, was virtually wiped out. The AGP managed to get seven seats only and is leading in three others.
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Gogoi wins for the 3rd time, Assam celebrates
Photographs: Reba kumar Borah
The AGP suffered massive reverses with its top leaders, including party president Chandra Mohan Patowary and former two-time chief minister Prafulla Mahanta, former party president Brindabon Goswami and vice president Thaneswar Boro biting dust. Mahanta managed to retain the Baharampur seat for the sixth consecutive term.
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Gogoi wins for the 3rd time, Assam celebrates
Photographs: Reba kumar Borah
The All India United Democratic Front is emerging as the largest opposition party, winning 15 seats and leading in three others, while the Congress's ally Bodoland Peoples' Front won eight seats and is leading in four others.
The other major party Bharatiya Janata Party, which had ten seats in the 2006 polls, has managed to win only three seats and is leading in two more, with even its state unit President Ranjit Dutta losing in Behali. The All India Trinamool Congress has won one seat.
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