In Assam, voting for five seats in the first phase of the Lok Sabha elections commenced amid elaborate security arrangements at 7 am on Friday. Polling is scheduled to continue till 5 pm. The constituencies where voting has began are all in upper Assam. Among these Dibrugarh, Jorhat and Kaziranga are on the south bank and Sonitpur and Lakhimpur are on the north bank of River Brahmaputra.
Over 86.47 lakh voters, including 43.64 lakh women who outnumber 42.82 lakh men and 123 third genders, are qualified to exercise their franchise in 10,001 polling booths. They will decide the political destiny of 35 candidates, including Union Minister and BJP nominee Sarbananda Sonowal, his opponent Lurin Jyoti Gogoi of Assam Jatiya Parishad and Gaurav Gogoi of the Congress.
As many as 60 companies of security forces were deployed in the five constituencies to ensure free and fair elections.
The BJP is contesting in all five seats in the first phase of the polls, the Congress in four, the Aam Aadmi Party in two and the Trinamool Congress, the Assam Jatiya Parishad and CPI in one each.
Live monitoring and webcasting were arranged in all the 5,509 polling stations for observing poll proceedings, the official said.
A total of 40,004 polling personnel and presiding officers have been engaged, he added.
Polling begins in Margherita, 1,67,232 voters expected to cast ballots
As the Lok Sabha election polling day arrives, the 83rd Margherita Constituency in Tinsukia district gears up for voting, starting at 7:00 am. A total of 1,67,232 eligible voters, including 82,865 male voters and 84,637 female voters, are expected to cast their ballots. The constituency buzzes with democratic activity as citizens exercise their fundamental right to choose their representatives.
Margherita Constituency, popular for its diverse population and rich cultural heritage, is witnessing an enthusiastic turnout as voters queue up patiently to cast their votes.
Security arrangements have been tightened across the constituency to ensure fair and incident-free polling process. Police personnel and election officials are posted at numerous polling stations to maintain law and order and facilitate the voting process.
Political parties and candidates have intensified their efforts in the final hours leading up to the polling day, engaging in last-minute campaigning and outreach activities to sway undecided voters.
