Guwahati, May 19: Ten out of 15 ministers of the Tarun Gogoi cabinet, many other Congress heavyweights and their relatives have lost the battle of democracy in Assam.

If it was a complete setback for the Congress leaders in Barak Valley as all four ministers - Gautam Roy, Ajit Singh, Siddeque Ahmed and Girindra Mallick - bit the dust, the BJP created history by winning all seven seats in Dibrugarh district in Upper Assam. Former Assam minister Prithibi Majhi and former Union minister Paban Singh Ghatowar were defeated by young and new faces of the BJP in Dibrugarh, which has been a Congress bastion over the years.

It is not only in Dibrugarh but also several stalwarts of the ruling party, including education minister Sarat Barkataky and three-time cabinet minister Pradyut Bordoloi, lost the battle in other parts of Upper Assam.

Barkataky, who had been a cabinet minister in the Gogoi ministry during its first and last terms, lost the election to former AASU general secretary and BJP candidate Tapan Gogoi in Sonari. Sources said it is difficult to digest the defeat of Barkataky, who had been a Sonari MLA for the past 25 years. Tapan Gogoi contested the poll for the first time.

Pradyut Bordoloi's defeat from Margherita, which has been traditionally a Congress bastion, is another shocker for the Congress. Only once in 1998 was the AGP was able to wrest the Margherita seat narrowly. Another surprising defeat in Upper Assam was Rana Goswami from Jorhat constituency.

Though chief minister Tarun Gogoi retained Titabar by defeating BJP's Kamakhya Prasad Tasa, the Jorhat Lok Sabha MP, the victory margin came down to 17,153 votes this time from 54,199 in 2011.

The mood in Titabar remained sombre with Congress party workers and supporters abstaining from celebrations after Gogoi's victory was announced as the party had been routed across Assam.

"I think it is a BJP wave. When the wave hits, everything is washed away. I think the same happened with the Congress in this elections. Otherwise, how could one expect the defeat of former minister Gautam Bora before Angoorlata, an actress and BJP candidate in Batadroba constituency in Nagaon district in central Assam," a Congress leader said.

Barring Rakibul Hussain, Ajanta Neog, Nazrul Islam and Sukur Ali, all other ministers in the Gogoi cabinet have lost the polls. Senior cabinet minister Bhumidhar Barman did not contest the polls owing to his age and health problems. But his son Diganta Barman, who was given the ticket to contest from Barkhetri constituency in Nalbari district, lost the polls. Similar was the fate with Angkita Dutta, daughter of Assam PCC president Anjan Dutta, who contested from Amguri in Sivasagar district, in place of her father.

Two former ministers - Nilamani Sen Deka and Akon Bora - also lost the elections from Dharmapur in Nalbari and Dispur in Guwahati respectively.

The Congress was not only shocked by its defeat in Brahmaputra valley but also devastated in Barak Valley.

Six-time legislator from Katlichera constituency in Hailakandi district and the most influential Congressman in Barak Valley, Gautam Roy, was defeated by his nearest candidate Suzam Uddin Laskar of the AIUDF.

State minister for sports, excise, transport and youth affairs Ajit Singh also lost to the BJP's Mihir Kanti Shome in Udharbond constituency.

Assam minister and an influential minority leader Siddeque Ahmed was defeated by Aziz Ahmed Khan of AIUDF from Karimganj South constituency.

In the 2011 Assembly polls, the BJP had failed to win any seat in Barak Valley. None of the 15 Assembly seats in the valley was in the grip of the party till 2014 byelection in Silchar, where BJP candidate Dilip Kumar Paul emerged victorious, beating his Congress rival Arun Dutta Mazumder. Of the 15 seats in Barak Valley, BJP wrested five in 2006 and four in 2001 Assembly polls.

Assam minister of state for mines and minerals, jail and border areas Girindra Mallick was defeated by the BJP candidate Parimal Sukhlavaidya by 2681 votes.

Additional reporting by Nilotpal Bhattacharjee from Silchar, Avik Chakraborty from Dibrugarh and Wasim Rahman from Jorhat