Sivasagar (Assam) [India], May 4 : Raijor Dal president and Sivasagar constituency candidate Akhil Gogoi on Monday expressed confidence that Congress and its allies will form the government in the state with "70 plus seats" as counting commenced earlier today.
Speaking to ANI here, Gogoi also wished good luck to all the 722 candidates from 126 constituencies, saying that the opposition parties will form the government.
"I wish all the 722 candidates from 126 constituencies the best of luck. I would like to hope that the opposition parties will form the government. With 70-plus seats, we will form the government, and we will own the game," he told reporters.
Congress stitched a six-party alliance, which included the Raijor Dal, to take on the ruling BJP-led NDA in Assam. The state has 126 assembly seats.
However, exit polls predicted that the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) is poised to retain power for a third successive term. Axis My India projected that the BJP-led NDA would secure 88 to 100 of 126 seats and the Congress-led alliance 24 to 36 seats.
JVC predicted 88-101 seats for the NDA and 23-33 seats for the Congress-led alliance. It gave 0-2 seats to AIUDF and three to others. Matrize projected 85-95 seats for the BJP-led alliance, 25-32 for the Congress-led alliance, and 6-12 seats for others.
Meanwhile, counting of votes for all 126 Assembly constituencies began at 8 am under tight security, with postal ballots taken up first, followed by EVM counting from 8:30 am across 14 tables at each centre.
Counting agents from various political parties were seen arriving at strong rooms, including at the Maniram Dewan Trade Centre in Guwahati.
The Election Commission has set up 52 counting centres across 35 districts, including institutions such as Bodoland University, Bhattadev University, Nalbari College and Karimganj College. In several districts, including Lakhimpur and Sivasagar, multi-tier security arrangements have been deployed, with hundreds of officials overseeing the process to ensure transparency and smooth conduct.
Assam went to the polls in a single phase on April 9, with high voter turnout recorded. The BJP-led NDA is seeking a third consecutive term in the state, while the Congress has formed a six-party alliance to mount a strong challenge.