Assam elections: 73.03 pc voters exercise franchise till 5 pm

Silchar/Morigaon, April 1

Over 73 per cent of 73.45 lakh voters exercise franchise till 5 pm in 39 assembly seats where polling is underway for second phase. 

A turnout of 73.03 per cent was recorded till 5 pm.

The situation in Assam was peaceful with a significant number of voters turning up during the morning hours to exercise their franchise.

A turnout of 73.03 per cent was recorded till 5 pm.

There were reports of EVM glitches from some polling stations and upon their immediate replacement voting continued uninterrupted, an election official said.

Long queues were seen outside most of the 10,592 polling stations across the 13 districts in the Barak Valley, the Hill region and parts of Central and Lower Assam since early morning.

A significant number of women voters were seen turning up early to exercise their franchise.

At most places, voters were found wearing masks and maintaining social distancing as they stood inside the rings drawn at six-ft distance outside the polling stations.

Besides, they were examined with thermal scanners for body temperature, provided with sanitisers and disposable plastic gloves before they went into the polling booth.

E-rickshaw was made available to ferry senior citizens in the Cachar district, and they were also felicitated for their will to vote.

Wheelchairs were also provided at all election centres with volunteers navigating the old and disabled to their polling booths. Resting areas were also created for the senior citizens to wait for their turn to vote.

Voting began at 7 am and will continue till 6 pm with the extra hour given in view of the pandemic.

Till 11 am, 27.45 per cent of the total 73,44,631 voters exercised their franchise.

Among the prominent candidates who have voted are Karimganj (North) MLA Kamalakhya Dey Purakayastha of Congress and his BJP opponent Manash Das, BJP's Nalbari candidate Jayanta Malla Baruah, UPPL's Gobinda Chandra Basumatary, and former Asam Sahitya Sabha president and BJP candidate from Sipajhar Paramanda Rajbongshi.

Senior Congress leader Sushmita Dev also exercised her franchise at a polling booth in Silchar and asserted that her party would win the elections.

Several polling stations in Cachar were decked up, showcasing the cultural legacy of the district through the display of handicrafts and handlooms.

In many of the 117 model polling stations, the first voters were greeted with traditional Assamese scarf 'gamosa' as well as with saplings.

Thunderstorms accompanied by lightning, rain, hailstones and gusty winds reaching up to 30-40 kmph hit Karimganj district in the morning, but the weather cleared later in the day, enabling voters to step out.

Overnight showers also lashed several constituencies where polling is under way.

Rain and thunderstorm are common ahead of the Rongali Bihu festival, which is a fortnight away.

Selfie stands with ‘I voted’ written on them and wallpaper stands seeking comments were seen to be a favourite among voters, particularly the first-timers and the youth. PTI