Guwahati, May 4 (IANS) In a setback for Congress, party candidate and state president Gaurav Gogoi was trailing behind BJP rival Hitendra Nath Goswami in the Jorhat Assembly constituency after the fifth round of counting on Monday.

According to official trends, the BJP has secured 23,339 votes, while the Congress party has polled 15,326 votes so far, giving Goswami a lead of 8,013 votes over Gogoi as counting continues.

The widening margin is being seen as an early setback for the Congress party in a key constituency, with the party closely watching further rounds for any turnaround.

Counting of votes is underway across the state under tight security, and clearer trends are expected to emerge later in the day.

The BJP-led NDA was leading in 98 Assembly seats, while the Congress-led opposition alliance was ahead in 25 constituencies in the early rounds of counting for the Assembly elections.

Polling for the Assembly elections was held on April 9, with an impressive voter turnout of 85.96 per cent from an electorate of more than 2.50 crore.

A total of 722 candidates are in the fray, including 59 women contenders.

The Congress fielded the highest number of candidates at 99, followed by the BJP with 90.

The All India United Democratic Front (AIUDF) contested 30 seats. Among NDA allies, the Asom Gana Parishad fielded 26 candidates, while the Bodo Peoples’ Front contested 11 seats.

Within the opposition bloc, Raijor Dal fielded 13 candidates, Assam Jatiya Parishad contested 10, CPI(M) three, and the All Party Hill Leaders Conference two seats. Other parties in the contest include the Aam Aadmi Party and United People’s Party Liberal with 18 seats each, the Trinamool Congress with 22, and the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha with 16. There are also 258 Independent candidates.

–IANS

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