Assam By polls: Over 51 per cent turnout registered till 1pm, Bhabanipur records highest turnout

GUWAHATI: The five constituencies in Assam have witnessed  51.65 per cent turnout on Saturday till 1 pm.

The polling is underway in Gossaigaon, Bhabanipur, Tamulpur, Mariani and Thowra assembly segments, with strict adherence to COVID-19 protocols.

Reportedly, a total of 7.96 lakh electors casted their votes in the first six hours.

So far, Bhabanipur has recorded highest turnout with 62 per cent, followed by Gossaigaon (57.94 per cent), Thowra (54.52 per cent), Tamulpur (47 per cent) and Mariani (35.13 per cent).

The voting is scheduled to continue till 5pm.

So far, the voting process has been running smoothly and no inappropriate incidents have been reported.

Reportedly, the Election Commission stated that Central Armed Police Force (CAPF) personnel have been deployed in 1,176 polling stations.

As per reports, voters were standing in queues adhering to COVID-19 protocols laid out by the government.

Long queues were seen outside polling booths with voters and election officials adhering to COVID-19 protocols and maintaining social distancing norms.

Altogether 31 candidates are in the fray, the Election Commission official said.

In the backdrop of the pandemic, polling stations were sanitized and health safety protocols are strictly followed, he said.

In some of the constituencies, first-time voters were greeted with ethnic scarf in some constituencies. People with disabilities were helped by volunteers to enter the polling booths in wheelchairs.

The fate of three 3 Lok Sabha seats and 29 assembly seats in 13 states and one union territory will be decided on Saturday amid stringent COVID protocols.

Assam will witness five Assembly bypolls in constituencies including Gossaigaon in Kokrajhar district, Tamulpur in Baksa district, Mariani and Thowra in Jorhat district and Bhawanipur.

Bypolls in Gossaigaon and Tamulpur were required owing to the deaths of the sitting MLAs. On the other hand the incumbents of Bhabanipur, Mariani and Thowra left their seats to join the saffron clan.

MLAs Rupjyoti Kurmi and Sushanta Borgohain resigned from the Congress. While Phanidhar Talukdar left AIUDF and is now fighting on BJP ticket.

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