The Congress on Friday won both the Rajya Sabha seats in Assam, thanks to seven votes from the opposition camp.
While Nazneen Farooqui got votes of 43 legislators, Silvius Condpan polled votes of 42 MLAs. Jayanta Baruah, the combined opposition?s candidate, had to be content with just 40 votes. One vote was declared invalid. The two Congress candidates together managed the support of 85 MLAs in a House of 126 despite having just 75 MLAs.
As many as seven MLAs from three major opposition parties?Rumi Nath, Abhijit Hazarika, Shambhu Singh Malla and Kartiksena Sinha of the BJP, Anwarul haque and Rasul Haque of the AUDF and AGP?s Abdul Aziz?voted for the Congress candidate for the second seat. One MLA each of the Autonomous State Demand Committee (ASDC) and Ganashakti, who had initially pledged support to the opposition candidate, also supported the Congress nominee in the end.
The election has generated high drama over the past week, with chief minister Tarun Gogoi continuously claiming that both Congress nominees would sail through despite the party and its allies not having the minimum required numbers. ?Those who voted for our candidates today have realised that they must strengthen the Congress party?s hand in order to ensure proper development of Assam,? Gogoi said.
After the voting, the BJP suspended its four MLAs and hit out at the ruling party for ?blatant abuse of power?. BJP national spokesman Ravi Shankar Prasad said: ?The PM should accept responibility for this shameful misconduct of his party.?