Assam witnessed a robust voter turnout of 77.35per cent in the second phase of Lok Sabha elections, conducted across five parliamentary constituencies on April 26.
According to the Election Commission, “At least 77.35per cent of voters in five parliamentary constituencies – Silchar, Karimganj, Diphu, Nagaon, and Darrang-Udalguri – exercised their franchise in the second phase of polls.”
Detailed breakdowns reveal 80.56per cent voter turnout in Nagaon, 78.41per cent in Darrang-Udalguri, 75.97per cent in Silchar, 75.63per cent in Karimganj, and 73.11per cent in Diphu.
The first phase of polls in five parliamentary constituencies – Jorhat, Dibrugarh, Lakhimpur, Kaziranga, and Sonitpur – on April 19, saw Assam recording a 78.25per cent polling percentage.
Moving forward, the third phase of polls will cover four Lok Sabha seats – Guwahati, Barpeta, Kokrajhar, and Dhubri – scheduled for May 7. With 47 candidates vying for positions, more than 81 lakh voters are expected to participate.
The second phase of voting encompassed 88 Lok Sabha constituencies, including all 20 seats in Kerala, 14 in Karnataka, 13 in Rajasthan, eight in Maharashtra and Uttar Pradesh, five each in Assam and Bihar, six in Madhya Pradesh, three each in Chhattisgarh and West Bengal, and one each in Tripura, Manipur, and Jammu and Kashmir.
In retrospect, during the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, the BJP secured 7 out of the 14 seats in Assam, while the Congress and the All India United Democratic Front-AIUDF managed to win three seats each. However, in the 2019 elections, the BJP’s seat count increased to 9, while the Congress maintained its three seats, and the AIUDF secured just one seat.
