Crossvoting helps Congress win both Rajya Sabha seats in Assam

 With additional help in the form of cross-voting by one member each of BJP and regional outfi Bodo People's Front, Assam's ruling Congress on Monday won both the Rajya Sabha seats, in a boost ahead of assembly elections in the state next month.

Congress had fielded senior leaders Ripun Bora and Ranee Narah. "Congress has won both the seats. Independent candidate Mahabir Prasad Jain got no vote," Assam Assembly Principal Secretary Mrigendra Kumar Deka told PTI here.

Giving the break-up, Deka said Congress' 66 MLAs and AIUDF's 17 MLAs and one each from BJP and BPF had cast their votes in the Rajya Sabha poll. While one vote for Congress became invalid due to use of wrong mark, the rest went in favour of Bora and Narah, he added. AGP and the remaining members of BJP and BPF abstained from the polling, Deka said.

Addressing the media later in the evening, Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi said "now, people of the state will realise that I have support from across the parties," he added. PCC President Anjan Dutta said "this is a signal before the Assembly polls. We will show the same performance there too. "Earlier I was sure of winning 70 seats but now I am confident of winning at least 78 seats in the Assembly polls," he said.

Both the Rajya Sabha seats are falling vacant as its two members Naznin Faruque and Pankaj Bora, both from Congress, are retiring next month. A two-phased assembly poll will be held in Assam on April 4 and April 11 and counting for all its 126 seats will be on May 19.