Dholai by-poll: Congress claims 'moral victory' despite BJP retaining seat

Silchar, Nov 24: The Silchar District Congress Committee, despite conceding defeat in the Dholai (SC) by-election, remains optimistic, hailing their performance as a “moral victory” against the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

Abhijit Paul, president of the Silchar District Congress, expressed pride in the party's strong showing, with Congress securing 60,847 votes and losing by just over 9,000 votes. He pointed out that at one point during the counting process, the margin between the two parties had narrowed to under 1,000 votes, highlighting the fierce contest.

“This is undoubtedly a moral victory for us. Our candidate, Dhrubajyoti Purkayastha, fought a tough battle not just against the BJP candidate but against a host of BJP leaders including Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, Minister Jayanta Mallabaruah, Parimal Suklabaidya, and Kaushik Rai. While BJP expected an easy win, we made it a hard-fought contest,” Paul said.

Paul added that Congress’s performance in the Hindu-majority areas of Dholai was a positive sign for the upcoming 2026 Assam Assembly elections.

Purkayastha also thanked his supporters and expressed satisfaction with the fight he put up. However, he alleged that the BJP had engaged in a "vote for note" scheme ahead of the elections, and accused BJP leaders of intimidating voters, an act he described as undemocratic.

Following the victory, Silchar MP Parimal Suklabaidiya praised the people of Dholai for electing a local candidate. "The allegations raised by the opposition were below the standard of political ethics. The people have given a befitting reply by reposing their trust in the BJP,” he said.

Kaushik Rai, MLA of Lakhipur, took a more direct swipe at Congress, saying the results showed that the party had been "washed out" from Assam. “If this is the semi-final of the 2026 Assembly elections, then the BJP has already reached the final,” he remarked.

Silchar MLA Dipayan Chakraborty also expressed his satisfaction, crediting the strategy devised by Chief Minister Sarma and executed by Minister Jayanta Mallabaruah for the victory.

Earlier on Saturday, the BJP retained the Dholai seat with Nihar Ranjan Das winning the by-election by a margin of 9,017 votes. Das received 68,759 votes, while Purkayastha secured 59,742 votes, with the final results announced on Saturday after the 15th round of counting.