The BJP is looking to surpass its 2014 tally in Assam, as it is leading in nine seats, while the Congress is ahead in three and the AIUDF and an Independent candidate in one each of the 14 parliamentary constituencies in the state.

The BJP is likely to retain six of the seven seats it had won in the last Lok Sabha polls and may wrest two from the Congress and one from the AIUDF, according to official data.

The BJP is likely to win Dibrugarh, Lakhimpur, Jorhat, Tezpur, Mangaldoi, Gauhati and wrests Silchar and Autonomous District from Congress, along with Karimganj (SC) from AIUDF. The Congress is set to retain the Kaliabor seat and is marching ahead in Nowgong, earlier held by BJP, and Barpeta, held by AIUDF. The AIUDF is likely to retain one of the three seats it had won in the last polls.

BJP MPs Pradan Barua and Rameshwar Teli are likely to retain the Lakhimpur and Dibrugarh seats as they are leading by 3,44,350 and 3,51,594 votes, respectively, over Congress rivals Anil Borgohain and Paban Singh Ghatowar.

In Jorhat, state Power Minister Topan Kumar Gogoi is ahead of former Congress MLA Sushanta Borgohain by 81,319 votes, while in Tezpur, state Labour Minister Pallab Lochan Das is ahead of Congress candidate and retired IAS officer M G V K Bhanu by 1,76,875 votes.

In Mangaldoi, BJP's Dilip Saikia is ahead of Congress Rajya Sabha MP Bhubaneswar Kalita by 1,33,762 votes. In the prestigious Gauhati constituency, BJP's Queen Oja is ahead of Congress candidate Bobbeeta Sharma by of 1,30,312 votes. Congress candidate and former minister Pradyut Bordoloi has managed to breach BJP bastion Nowgong and take a lead over Rupak Sharma by 48,747 votes.

In Barpeta, Congress MLA Abdul Khaleque has moved ahead of AGP's Kumar Deepak Das by 74,145 votes. Among the three sitting Congress MPs contesting from their respective seats, Gaurav Gogoi has taken a comfortable lead of 1,70,811 votes over AGP's Mani Madhab Mahanta in Kaliabor, while All India Mahila Congress president Sushmita Dev is trailing behind BJP's Rajdeep Roy by 69,631 votes in Silchar.

Biren Singh Engti is trailing behind BJP's Horen Sing Bey by 1,57,805 votes in the Autonomous District (ST) seat. BJP MLA Kripanath Malla, who was also trailing behind AIUDF's sitting MP Radheshyam Biswas, has marched ahead and established a lead of 24,358 votes in Karimganj(SC).

AIUDF President Badruddin Ajmal is the sole party candidate to defend his seat by establishing a lead of 2,17,568 votes in Dhubri. In Kokrajhar (ST), sitting Independent MP Naba Sarania has established a lead of 65,605 votes over BJP's alliance partner BPF candidate and state social welfare minister Pramila Rani Brahma. In the 2014 Lok Sabha polls, the BJP had won seven seats, Congress three, AIUDF three and an Independent candidate one.

First Published:May 23, 2019 8:39 AM IST