Assam Elections Phase 2: Voting Ends, 73.03% Turnout Recorded
Thirty-nine of the 126 Assembly constituencies voted, with the electoral fate of 345 candidates to be decided.
As the second phase of Assam Assembly Elections came to an end, a voter turnout of 73.03 percent was recorded till 6 pm on Thursday, 1 April, provisional data from the Election Commission showed.
Thirty-nine of the 126 Assembly constituencies voted on Thursday, with the electoral fate of 345 candidates, including 26 women aspirants, to be decided. Among those who cast their votes was Badruddin Ajmal of the AIUDF, which is contesting the polls in alliance with the Congress.
The second phase of polling for the election was more like a mini Assembly poll in itself as it covered 39 seats across six different regions of the state. With voting in these varied regions, phase 2 was the most complex of all the phases. It included every sub-region within Assam with the exception of Upper and North Assam, which already voted in the first phase on 27 March.
- Casting her vote in Silchar, Congress leader Sushmita Dev said, “Mahajot is an inclusive alliance. The BJP-led one is a communal alliance”
- 73,44,631 voters, including 36,09,959 women, are eligible to cast their votes across 10,592 polling stations, including 556 all-women-managed polling stations
- Thursday’s balloting will decide the electoral fate of several Assam ministers, including Parimal Suklabaidya, Piyush Hazarika and Aminul Haque Laskar
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BJP vs Congress
In the elections, the BJP is highlighting the "perfect NRC (National Register of Citizens)" while the main opposition Congress has given top priority to the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, even as both the national parties have common issues of empowerment of women, jobs to youth and protecting the Assamese culture.
After the Bodoland Territorial Council polls in December last year, the BJP had forged an alliance with the United People's Party Liberal (UPPL) and the Gana Suraksha Party (GSP), discarding its old ally Bodoland People's Front (BPF). The Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) remains an ally.
To take on the BJP , the Congress, which governed Assam for 15 consecutive years (2001-2016), formed a 10-party 'Mahajot' (grand alliance), also comprising three Left parties -- the CPI-M, the CPI and the CPI-ML, along with the AIUDF, the Anchalik Gana Morcha, the BPF, the Rashtriya Janata Dal and two community-based parties -- the Jimochayan (Deori) People's Party and Adivasi National Party.
BJP's Hold Over Hill Districts
Five of the seats that vote on 1 April lie in Assam's hill districts - West and East Karbi Anglong and the huge south-central district of Dima Hasao.
Though a variety of tribal and non tribal communities live in these sparsely populated districts, there are two dominant hill tribe communities: Karbis in Karbi Anglong and Dimasas in Dima Hasao.
In the last election, the NDA had won four out of these five seats and Congress won one - Baithalangso in West Karbi Anglong.
The BJP is said to have a strong hold over these areas due to its control of the autonomous councils. The party is also counting on the impact of its welfare schemes as well as the entrenchment of Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, Vanvasi Kalyan Ashram and other Hindutva organisations in these areas.
EVM Malfunction Disrupts Voting in 2 Polling Stations
Reports of EVM malfunctioning emerged from Assam early on Thursday as voting began for the second phase of Assembly elections.
Voting was delayed at polling station number 26 at Nowgong Law College in Nagaon, and was halted at polling station number 146 at Nirtamoyee Balika Vidyalaya in Silchar, due to malfunctions in voting machines, reported news agency ANI.
In Photos: Polling Underway in Phase 2 of Assam Assembly Elections
PM Modi, Sonowal, Others Appeal to Voters to Exercise Their Franchise
As voting commenced for the second phase of Assembly elections in Assam, political leaders, including PM Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, current Assam CM Sarbananda Sonowal, state minister Himanta Biswa Sarma and Congress leader Gaurav Gogoi, appealed to those eligible to cast their votes.
Assam Elections Phase 2: 10.51% Voter Turnout Recorded Till 9 am
A voter turnout of 10.51 percent has been recorded till 9 am in the second phase of Assembly elections in Assam, the Election Commission said.
AIUDF's Badruddin Ajmal Casts Vote in Hojai
All India United Democratic Front President Badruddin Ajmal cast his vote at polling station number 21 in Hojai on Thursday. The AIUDF is in an alliance with the Congress for the elections in the state.
“PM Modi and Amit Shah have said they’ll send Bangladeshi infiltrators back. I want to ask them how many Bangladeshis (have been) sent back till now? I challenge them to tell if even 100 Bangladeshis have been sent back in the last five years. They are the ones who get them here,” he was quoted as saying by news agency ANI.
Assam Elections Phase 2: 21.71% Voter Turnout Recorded Till 11 am
A voter turnout of 21.71 percent was recorded till 11 am on Thursday in the second phase of Assembly elections in Assam, the Election Commission said.
'Mahajot an Inclusive Alliance, BJP-Led One Communal': Congress' Sushmita Dev
Casting her vote in Silchar, Congress leader Sushmita Dev was quoted as saying, "Mahajot (the Congress-led grand alliance) is an inclusive alliance. The BJP-led one is a communal alliance."
In Photos: Voters Cast Their Votes in 2nd Phase of Assam Assembly Elections
Assam Elections Phase 2: 33.24% Voter Turnout Recorded Till 1 pm
A voter turnout of 33.24 percent was recorded till 1 pm on Thursday in the second phase of Assembly elections in Assam, the Election Commission said. These are approximate figures.
48.26% Voter Turnout Recorded Till 1:50 pm
A voter turnout of 48.26 percent has been recorded in Assam till 1:50 pm, provisional data from the Election Commission showed.
63.03% Voter Turnout Recorded Till 3:30 pm
A voter turnout of 63.03 percent has been recorded in Assam till 3:30 pm, provisional data from the Election Commission showed.
67.60% Voter Turnout Recorded Till 5:10 pm
A voter turnout of 67.60 percent has been recorded in Assam till 5:10 pm, provisional data from the Election Commission showed.
Assam Assembly Elections: 73.03% Voter Turnout Recorded Till 6 PM
As the second phase of Assam Assembly Elections came to an end, a voter turnout of 73.03 percent was recorded till 6 pm on Thursday, 1 April, provisional data from the Election Commission showed.
Assam Polls: Crowds Clash In Barak Valley During Voting: Report
Amid the second phase of polling, supporters of the BJP and AIUDF clashed in Assam's Barak Valley today, just ahead of the close of voting, reported NDTV.
According to the report, police charged at the crowds with batons to restore order in the tensed town. Policemen also reportedly fired blank rounds in the air during the clash as well.
Congress Seeks Disqualification of State Minister
The Congress has submitted a memorandum to Chief Electoral Officer, Assam seeking candidature disqualification of State Minister Pijush Hazarika for allegedly threatening a news reporter, reports ANI.