According to official data released on Saturday, the first phase of elections in five Lok Sabha constituencies of Assam saw a voter turnout of approximately 76% out of a total of 86.48 lakh electors.
An official has stated that the final polling percentage may be subject to revision as the complete compilation of figures is still underway. The office of the Chief Electoral Officer in Assam has provided information indicating that a voter turnout of 75.95% was recorded after polling on Friday.
The voter turnout in the election is expected to exceed 80%, as there are still reports pending from several polling stations in remote areas. According to the Election Commission, Jorhat witnessed the highest voter turnout at 77.45%, while Lakhimpur had the lowest turnout at 68.85%. Dibrugarh recorded a turnout of 71.05%, Kaziranga 71.57%, and Sonitpur 71.34%. In the Dibrugarh LS constituency, Digboi Assembly constituency had a turnout of 68.73%, Makum 69.52%, Tinsukia 67.79%, Chabua-Lahoal 79.26%, Dibrugarh 77.95%, Khowang 79.49%, Duliajan 76.88%, Tingkhong 79.54%, and Naharkatia recorded a turnout of 72.50%. Sarbananda Sonowal, the Union minister and BJP candidate in the Dibrugarh LS seat, cast his vote at the Sahitya Sabha polling booth.
Sonowal is currently engaged in a competition against former AASU leader and United Opposition Forum candidate Lurinjyoti Gogoi. He emerged victorious in the 2004 LS election under the Asom Gana Parishad’s AGP banner. Upon joining the BJP in 2011, he contested from the Lakhimpur parliamentary constituency in 2014 and emerged victorious, defeating the then Union minister Ranee Naraha. Sonowal resigned from the LS in 2016 following his appointment as the chief minister of Assam.
In the year 2021, he once again found himself involved in the realm of national politics as the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) included him and successfully elected him to the Rajya Sabha. This time, he received a nomination from the BJP in the Dibrugarh constituency, as the party decided to replace the Member of Parliament and Union Minister, Rameshwar Teli. Interestingly, the Congress party made a strategic decision to abstain from fielding any candidate in Dibrugarh, instead allocating this seat to their ally, Lurinjyoti Gogoi, the president of Assam Jatiya Parishad. Notably, both Lurinjyoti Gogoi and the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) candidate, Manoj Dhanowar, exercised their voting rights in this election.
Jorhat witnessed the highest voter turnout at 77.96%, with Congress candidate Gaurav Gogoi exercising his voting right. Sonitpur followed with a voter turnout of 71.34%, where BJP candidate Ranjit Dutta voted in Borkothiabari, Behali. His rivals, Congress candidate Premlal Ganju and AAP candidate Rishiraj Kaundinya, also participated in the voting process. Lakhimpur saw a voter turnout of 68.85%, while Kaziranga recorded a polling percentage of 71.57%.
A peaceful polling process took place in 10,001 polling booths from 7 am to 5 pm, determining the outcome for 35 candidates. Although there were a few instances of EVM malfunction, the overall atmosphere remained calm. The proceedings were closely monitored through webcasting in 5,509 polling booths. Additionally, there were 92 model polling stations, 752 stations staffed entirely by women, and 11 stations managed by people with disabilities.
