15 women candidates win Assam polls

The number of women MLAs in the 126-member 13th Assam assembly will be 15, two more than in the outgoing house, with five of them making it to the house for the first time.

The ruling Congress, winning 78 seats in the just concluded polls, will have the highest number of 12 women legislators while its alliance partner Bodoland Peoples' Front (BPF) has two and AIUDF one representative respectively.

Seven sitting MLAs, five from the ruling Congress and two from its ally BPF, have retained their seats and this includes deputy speaker Pranati Phukan from Naharkatiya, PWD minister Ajanta Neog from Golaghat and agriculture minister Pramila Rani Brahma from Kokrajhar (East).

Four of the 13 sitting MLAs in the last legislature failed to retain their seats. They are Congress's Dr Malaya Barman from Pathacharkuchi and Uttara Kalita along with AGP's Alaka Desai Sarma from Nalbari and Sushila Hazarika from Dergaon.

The other women sitting MLAs to return are Jibontara Ghatowar (Moran), Jonjonali Baruah (Morigaon) and Sumitra Patir (Dhemaji-ST)--all from the Congress along with BPF's Kamali Basumatary (Panery).

Rumi Nath from Barkhola retained her seat for the ruling party which she had won as a BJP candidate in 2006.

She had joined BJP after being expelled from Congress.

Among the five new entrants, four are from the ruling Congress and one from AIUDF, which has won a total of 18 seats in the just concluded polls.