In what promises to be a pivotal moment in Assam's politics, over 81 lakh voters are gearing up to cast their votes, influencing the fate of 47 candidates vying for victory across 4 Lok Sabha constituencies in the third phase of polling slated for May 7.
According to official data released by the Election Commission, the total number of voters stands at a staggering 81,77,207, inclusive of service voters numbering 28,116. Among these, 41,27,099 are male voters, while 40,84,130 are female, with 112 third gender voters also exercising their democratic right. A network of 9516 polling stations has been set up to facilitate the electoral process.
The electoral battleground is set with candidates from various political affiliations contesting across the four constituencies. Kokrajhar witnesses 12 candidates in contention, while Barpeta and Dhubri see 14 and 13 candidates respectively, and Guwahati features 8 hopefuls.
Both the National Democratic Alliance (NDA), comprising the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Asom Gana Parishad (AGP), and United People's Party Liberal (UPPL), and the Congress have fielded candidates in all four seats.
In the prestigious Guwahati seat, significant attention is drawn as both major parties have fielded women candidates and political newcomers. Bijuli Kalita Medhi, representing the BJP, squares off against Mira Barthakur Goswami from the Congress.
Notable contests include AIUDF Chief Badruddin Ajmal, defending his Dhubri seat against Congress stalwart Rockybul Hussain, a former Assam cabinet minister. Additionally, in the Bongaigon seat, a triangular fight is expected between NDA consensus candidate Phani Bhushan Choudhury of the AGP, Deep Bayan of the Congress, and Manoranjan Talukdar of the CPI-M (Marxist).