BJP set to win 9 of 14 Assam Lok Sabha seats

Counting of votes for the 14 Lok Sabha seats began on Thursday morning in 51 centres across the state amid tight security. The voting took place in the first three phases on April 11, 18 and 23.

Guwahati: The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is leading in Assam and the vote count trends on Thursday showed it was likely to win 9 Lok Sabha seats, while the Congress appeared to be losing two of the three seats it won in 2014. While the BJP candidates are leading with good margins in the Autonomous Council (Diphu), Dibrugarh, Guwahati, Jorhat, Lakhimpur, Mangaldai, Tezpur, Silchar and Nowgong seats, its alliance partners Asom Gana Parishad's (AGP) candidate was also ahead with a huge margin in the Barpeta Lok Sabha constituency. The Congress is leading only in the Kaliabar Lok Sabha seat. The Badruddin Ajmal-led All India United Democratic Front (AIUDF) is leading in the Dhubri and Karimganj seats. In the tribal-dominated Kokrajhar constituency, Independent sitting Lok Sabha member Naba Kumar Sarania is leading with a significant margin over the Bodo Peoples' Front (BPF) candidate. The ruling BJP is likely to score big win in the state despite promising to implement the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, 2016. Assam and other north-eastern states witnessed months of protests over the Bill passed in the Lok Sabha earlier this year. Counting of votes for the 14 Lok Sabha seats began on Thursday morning in 51 centres across the state amid tight security. The voting took place in the first three phases on April 11, 18 and 23.