Guwahati: The BJP-led North East Democratic Alliance (NEDA) had an outstanding showing in the by-elections held in the region. After elections, the NDA alliance won all five seats in Assam, while NPP won one in Meghalaya and SKM won two seats in Sikkim. A minority-dominated constituency was one of the three seats that the BJP contested in Assam. AGP and UPPL, its partners, each took home one seat. The NDA emerged victorious in each of the five constituencies where the by-election took place. The outcome of the by-election is significant for the BJP since it was the first time the saffron party had won a minority-dominated seat in Assam. It is important for the party that its young leader Diplu Ranjan Sharma defeated Congress candidate Tanzil Hussain in the Samaguri seat in central Assam.
The Congress party had a firm control on the Samaguri constituency. From 2001 till 2024, Rokybul Hussain, a prominent Congress leader and MP, served as the representative for Samaguri. In the 2024 election, he was elected to the Lok Sabha by a record margin from the Dhubri constituency. The Congress party nominated his son for the by-election. However, the BJP put forward well-liked young leader Sharma and fought the election fiercely, which led to the saffron party’s significant victory with a margin of more than 26,000 votes. According to political observers, the minority population has voted for the BJP party for the first time since the party’s ascent in the state.
Diganta Ghatowal, the other BJP contender, won the Behali seat with a resounding 50,947 votes. By commanding 9,051 votes, Ghatowal defeated Congress candidate Jayanta Borah, his closest opponent. NDA partner AGP candidate Diptimayee Choudhury defeated Congressman Brajenjit Sinha by a margin of 35,665 votes in the Bongaigaon seat. In the Dholai seat, BJP candidate Nihar Ranjan Das defeats his closest Congress opponent by a margin of 9,344 votes. On the other hand, Nirmal Kumar Brahma, NDA partner and UPPL candidate, defeated the BPF candidate by a margin of more than 35,000 votes in the Sidli by-election.
Similarly, the NPP, the ruling party in Meghalaya, won the only seat in which a by-election was held. Meghalaya CM Conrad Sangma thanked the people of the the Gambegre constituency since his wife, Mehtab Chandee, won the by-election with a huge margin. Sadhiarani M Sangma of the All India Trinamool Congress (AITC) received 8,084 votes, while the candidate of the National People’s Party (NPP) received 12,679 votes. With 7,695 votes, Congress candidate Jingjang M. Marak came in third.
Aditya Golay and Satish Chandra Rai, the candidates of the ruling Sikkim Krantikari Morcha (SKM), were undefeated in the by-elections to the Soreng-Chakung and Namchi-Singhithang assembly constituencies, respectively.
