Guwahati, November 22 (IANS): The BJP on Tuesday won the by-election to both Lakhimpur Lok Sabha constituency as well as to Baithalangso Legislative Assembly seat, defeating the nearest Congress rivals by huge margins. While BJP's Pradan Baruah won the Lakhimpur seat by a margin of 1,90,219 votes, the saffron party's candidate for Baithalangso constituency Dr. Mansing Rongpi defeated his Congress rival by over 16,000 votes. The Election Department officials in Guwahati said while Pradan Baruah of the BJP cornered 5,51,663 votes, Congress' Dr. Hema Hari Prasanna Pegu could got only 3,16,444 votes in Lakhimpur Lok Sabha constituency. Similarly, BJP candidate Dr. Mansing Rongpi bagged 72,160 votes, while his nearest Congress rival Rupon Sing Ronghang could poll only 55,560 votes. Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal, while thanking all the citizens of the state for decisively voting for the BJP candidates, said that the mandate signifies people's faith in the efforts of the present dispensation for bringing a tangible change in their lives. Meanwhile, The ruling Left Front led by the CPI-M on Tuesday wrested one assembly seat from the Congress and retained another in Tripura, increasing its tally in the 60-member assembly to 51. According to election officials, the Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) snatched the Scheduled Caste reserved Barjala seat and retained Khowai seat, defeating the nearest rivals, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Trinamool Congress (TMC), respectively. In Barjala, CPI-M youth leader Jhumu Sarkar defeated BJP's Shista Mohan Das, by 3,374 Votes. In Khowai, CPI-M's Biswajit Datta trounced TMC's Manoj Das, a former Left leader. Victory for NEDA in Arunachal Itanagar, November 22 (PTI): North East Democratic Alliance (NEDA) candidate Dasanglu Pul of BJP won the Hayuliang Assembly by-poll after defeating her lone rival Yompi Kri, an Independent candidate, by 942 votes. Pul, who was contesting on a BJP ticket, polled 5,326 votes while Kri could secure 4,384 votes in the by-poll held on November 19. The winner is the youngest of three wives of former Arunachal Pradesh chief minister Kalikho Pul. The by-poll was necessitated due to his alleged suicide. A total of 108 voters opted for NOTA , Chief Electoral Officer Kaling Tayeng said, adding an estimated 72% electorates exercised their franchise in the election. The strength of BJP, alliance partner of PPA-led NEDA government, has now risen to 12. People's Party of Arunachal (PPA) has 43 MLAs, Congress 3 and Independents 2 in the 60-member House.
