Guwahati: In a major political boost for the BJP ahead of government formation in Assam, several high-profile Congress defectors secured decisive victories in the Assembly elections, underlining the shifting political landscape in the state.
Former Congress leader Pradyut Bordoloi, who joined the BJP ahead of the polls, won the prestigious Dispur constituency by a landslide margin of 49,667 votes. Bordoloi secured 1,03,337 votes, defeating Congress candidate Mira Borthakur, who polled 53,670 votes.
Independent candidate Jayanta Kumar Das, who quit the BJP after Bordoloi was fielded from Dispur, failed to significantly impact the outcome, as Bordoloi cruised to victory.
Bordoloi, a two-term MP from Nagaon and a veteran Congress leader for nearly three decades, had also served as a minister in the Tarun Gogoi-led state government before switching allegiance to the BJP.
In another key contest, former Assam Congress president Bhupen Kumar Borah, who joined the BJP in February, won the Bihpuria seat. He defeated Congress candidate Narayan Bhuyan by 8,236 votes, securing 73,050 votes against Bhuyan's 64,814.
In the Barak Valley, Congress turncoat Kamalakhya Dey Purkayastha emerged victorious from the Katigorah constituency on a BJP ticket. He polled 1,10,758 votes, comfortably defeating his nearest rival Amar Chand Jain, who secured 73,078 votes.
Meanwhile, Sashi Kanta Das, the sitting MLA from Raha who also switched from Congress to the BJP, retained his seat with a margin of 20,594 votes. Contesting as a BJP candidate, Das secured 1,11,360 votes against Congress candidate Utpal Bania's 90,766.