GUWAHATI, May 30 � The Rajya Sabha elections for two seats from Assam went on expected lines as the Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh and Santiuse Kujjur � both Congress candidates � were elected to the Rajya Sabha today. They secured 49 and 45 votes respectively.
The third candidate in the fray was Aminul Islam of the AIUDF who got 18 votes.
A total of 112 legislators (Congress-79, AIUDF-18, BPF-12, Independents-2 and Trinamool Congress-1) of the Assam Assembly cast their votes in the poll. The AGP and the BJP abstained from voting.� �
The results went on expected lines, with 46 members of the Congress and its alliance partner BPF casting their votes in support of Dr Singh. The two independents and the lone Trinamool Congress member also voted for Dr Singh. Similarly, Kujjur received the votes of 45 legislators of the Congress and the BPF as was assured.
The AIUDF candidate had to be content with the votes of the party alone.
Not prepared to take any chances, the Congress had earlier issued a three-line whip to its legislators for the Rajya Sabha polls.�
Later, talking to newsmen, Kujjur hailed the victory as testifying to the party�s unity, and said that as a Rajya Sabha representative he would raise the problems of the State in the Parliament.
