Photo Courtesy: India Today Group
Guwahati: Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma downed a glass of cow's milk on stage on November 8. A local Muslim voter handed him the drink at a victory rally in Samaguri. Thousands watched as he kept his promise to visit the Rupahi Higher Secondary School playground. He pledged to celebrate in the region if NDA candidate Devashish Sharma won the seat.
Sarma arrived by helicopter at Fakhli Eidgah in Rupahihat earlier that day. A massive procession escorted him to the venue. The BJP victory ended a seven-year Congress streak in the Nagaon Lok Sabha constituency. BJP candidate Devashish Sharma, a former IAS officer and Nagaon Deputy Commissioner, claimed the seat. He beat AIUDF chief Badruddin Ajmal by 142,224 votes. Sharma pulled in 714,349 votes, while Ajmal managed 572,125. Congress candidate Sibamoni Bora lagged in third with 129,492 votes.
The win represents a major shift in a region where roughly 62 percent of voters are Muslim. The by-election on October 6 followed the resignation of former Congress MP Pradyut Bordoloi, who defected to the BJP earlier this year. Regarding his interaction with supporters, Sarma noted the significance of the event. Local residents and party workers packed the grounds to mark the political gain.
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