By IANS,
Guwahati : The Congress is maintaining a lead in the northeast with its candidates ahead of its rivals in 12 of the region’s 24 seats, although the party is likely to receive a setback in Assam.
According to trends available at 1 p.m. Saturday, the Congress is leading in eight of Assam’s 14 seats, while its alliance partner, the Bodoland People’s Front (BPF) is ahead in one seat.
The opposition combine of the Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is ahead in four seats – the BJP in three seats and the AGP in one. The Asom United Democratic Front (AUDF) is leading in two seats.
In the 2004 elections, the AGP and the BJP won two seats each, while the Congress won nine seats and the BPF one.
Going by the trends, the electoral tie up between the AGP and the BJP did not work out for the regional party, while it was a good show for the AUDF, a minority based party headed by perfume baron Badruddin Ajmal.
In Manipur, the Congress is leading in the Inner Manipur seat with sitting MP T. Meinya Singh leading, while in the Outer Manipur seat, sitting MP and independent candidate Mani Charnemei is expected to win again.
In Arunachal West, sitting MP Khiren Rijiju of the BJP is leading over his nearest Congress candidate, while in the Arunachal East seat, the Congress is ahead.
In Nagaland, the BJP-backed Nagaland People’s Front candidate C. Chang is leading over his Congress rival.
In Meghalaya, the Congress candidate is leading in the Shillong seat, while in the Tura seat the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) is leading.
Tripura’s ruling Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) candidate Bajuban Reang was leading over his Congress rival Diba Chandra Hrangkhawl in Tripura East parliamentary constituency while sitting CPI-M MP Khagen Das was leading over his Congress rival Sudip Roy Barma in Tripura West Lok Sabha seat by 150,000 and 170,000 votes respectively.
Veteran tribal leader and CPI-M central committee member Reang has contested the Lok Sabha elections from the Tripura East (reserved for tribals) seat nine times since 1980 and gone on to win on six occasions, including in 2004.
Former Tripura health minister and CPI-M central committee member Khagen Das had successfully fought the Lok Sabha polls in 2002 (by-election) and 2004 and was expected to retain the seat.
In the lone parliamentary seat in Mizoram, Congress aspirant C.L. Ruala was leading over his rival H. Lallungmuana, an independent supported by the opposition Mizo National Front (MNF) and the Mizoram People’s Conference (MPC), Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) by about 50,000 votes.