With Over 38% Voter Turnout In The First 4 Hours Of Voting, Assam Sees A Steady Increase In Electors As It Polls For Youth Employment, Infrastructure Development And Key Local Issues

Key Points:

Polling in Assam has started today at 7:00 am. The state has 126 constituencies, with 31,486 polling stations, according to official data from the Election Commission of India (EC). Over 2.4 crore voters will choose the new legislative assembly of Assam, with the male and female voter counts being almost equal. While male electors number 1,24,82,213, female voters stand at 1,24,75,583. A total of 343 candidates of the third gender are also enrolled in the electoral list, the EC official data states. 

What matters most is the voter turnout. Assam is one of the most politically significant states, not only in the North East but overall in India too. Accounting for 14 Lok Sabha constituencies, its representation is much higher than the combined Lok Sabha seats of the remaining seven states in North East India. The electorate is focusing on key issues of youth employment, infrastructure development, internal security, education and rights of indigenous groups. 

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The voter turnout in the state as of 11:00 am stands at 38.92%. Ten constituencies have recorded over 40% voter turnout in the morning session. Majuli showed the highest voter turnout, recording 44.30%, with Goalpara and Morigaon just behind, recording 43.19% and 42.80%, respectively. The polling during the initial hours showed optimism for a strong final turnout, with all constituencies recording over 15% voter turnout in the first two hours of the election. 

Recent Controversies Dominating The Polls

The final days of campaigning saw massive political fireworks. Congress spokesperson Pawan Khera recently leveled explosive allegations against CM Himanta Biswa Sarma's wife, Riniki Bhuyan Sharma. Khera accused her of holding passports from three foreign countries (the UAE, Egypt, and Antigua and Barbuda), owning undeclared luxury properties in Dubai, and operating a shell company in the US. CM Sarma vehemently denied the charges as fabricated, which subsequently led to the Assam Police raiding Khera's Delhi residence.

Previously, building up the elections, CM Sarma had accused Congress leader Gaurav Gogoi and his British wife, Elizabeth Colburn, of having links with a Pakistani agent, Ali Tauqeer Sheikh. CM Sarma alleged that the couple was involved in an international conspiracy to collect sensitive information regarding India and report it back to Pakistan.

Key Parties And Important Leaders

The key parties in the state are the BJP, Congress, and AIUDF (All India United Democratic Front). The regional parties looking to mark their electoral presence are the Asom Gana Parishad (AGP), Bodoland People’s Front (BPF), Raijor Dal (RD), Assam Jatiya Parishad (AJP), and All Party Hill Leaders Conference (APHLC). The BJP is leading the ruling NDA (National Democratic Alliance) with CM Himanta Biswa Sarma leading the charge. The NDA in Assam consists of the BJP, AGP, and the BPF. 

Leading the opposition, Gaurav Gogoi has revived the Asom Sonmilito Morcha (ASM), the united opposition consisting of Congress, RD, AJP, APHLC, and two left parties: CPI(M) and CPI(ML) Liberation. The three-term MP and son of former CM Tarun Gogoi is contesting from Jorhat in his debut assembly election.

Meanwhile, AIUDF chief Badruddin Ajmal is desperately seeking a political revival in these assembly polls following his crushing defeat in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections from the Dhubri constituency, where he lost by a massive margin to Congress's Rakibul Hussain.

Important Leaders Fighting The Elections

The BJP is looking to successfully score a hat-trick in the state. CM Himanta Biswa Sarma, contesting from his stronghold Jalukbari, is facing Congress newcomer Bideesha Neog. Debabrata Saikia from the Congress faces the BJP’s Mayur Borgohain in the Nazira constituency. 

Opposition CM candidate Gaurav Gogoi, contesting from Jorhat, faces five-term BJP MLA and veteran politician Hitendra Nath Goswami. Akhil Gogoi, the firebrand leader of the RD who famously won the 2021 polls from behind bars, looks to secure his second consecutive term from the Sibsagar constituency. He faces the BJP’s Kushal Dowari and the AGP’s Prodip Hazarika, who are both in the ruling NDA, engaged in a friendly fight. 

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Famous student leader and AJP President Lurinjyoti Gogoi is looking for an electoral win, contesting from the Khowang constituency. He faces the BJP’s Chakradhar Gogoi. Kunki Chowdhury, the youngest candidate at 27 years old, is fighting on an AJP ticket from the Guwahati Central seat and faces the BJP’s veteran Vijay Kumar Gupta and the TMC’s Avijit Mazumdar. A famous war of words occurred between CM Sarma and Chowdhury, with Chowdhury stating that the controversy made her feel like an important candidate in the CM’s eyes. 

2023 Delimitation Exercise

The EC conducted the Assam delimitation exercise in 2023 by reorganizing the constituencies. While the total number of constituencies remained unchanged at 126, their boundaries have been significantly altered. The Opposition has leveled allegations of manipulation against the EC for reducing the minority-dominated seats from around 30 to 22. The exercise was conducted on the basis of 2001 census data.

(Rh)

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