Assam Lok Sabha Elections 2024: Know your candidates for Guwahati constituency, population, polling percentage, poll results

The Gauhati Lok Sabha constituency in Assam holds immense political significance, encompassing a substantial voter base totaling 1,922,270 individuals. It stands as the largest district in Assam and the entire North East, consisting of 10 assembly seats: Dudhnai (ST), Boko (ST), Chaygaon, Palasbari, Jalukbari, Dispur, Guwahati East, Guwahati West, Hajo, and Barkhetri. Historically, the BJP has maintained a stronghold in this region, with notable personalities such as the renowned singer Bhupen Hazarika contesting from this seat in 2004 under the BJP banner.

Interestingly, it is a general seat, not reserved for SCs or STs, thus allowing for diverse political narratives. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Congress, and All India United Democratic Front (AIUDF) emerge as major players in Guwahati's political arena, with past elections witnessing prominent figures like BJP's Bijoya Chakravarty and Congress' Kirip Chaliha.

Scheduled for phase 3 on May 7, the 2024 election in Guwahati features three significant candidates competing for victory: Bijuli Kalita Medhi from the BJP, Mira Barthakur Goswami from the INC, and Bhaben Choudhury from AAP.

As per the 2011 census, Guwahati boasts a population of 962,334, with an estimated population of approximately 11 lakhs in 2021. The child population (0-14) constituted 9.40% in 2011, while the average literacy rate stood at 91.47%, with male literacy at 94.24% and female literacy at 88.50%. The sex ratio was recorded at 933 females per 1000 males, with the child sex ratio at 940 girls per 1000 boys.

Language diversity is evident in Guwahati, with Assamese being the primary language for around 57.80% of the population in 2011, followed by Bengali (20.40%), Hindi (12.29%), Nepali (1.92%), Boro (1.69%), Manipuri (0.91%), and Bhojpuri (0.90%).

In the 2019 elections, Guwahati witnessed 21,81,319 voters, comprising 11,03,376 male voters, 10,77,865 female voters, and 78 third-gender voters, indicating a notable increase from the 2014 count of 19,22,270 voters. The voter turnout in 2019 stood at 80.86%, with 10,466 voters opting for NOTA, which showed a slight increase from the 2014 turnout of 78.64%, witnessing 6,720 NOTA votes.

Analyzing historical trends, the polling dates and results reveal consistency, with voting in 2019 occurring on April 23 and results announced on May 23, while in 2014, polling was conducted on April 24, and results were declared on May 16.

Over the years, the number of polling stations has increased, with 2,592 recorded in 2019 compared to 2,345 in 2014.

As the 2024 Guwahati Lok Sabha Elections draw near, the political landscape anticipates a tightly contested battle, with parties sparing no effort to secure victory in this pivotal constituency. The notification of the election schedule initiates the nomination process by candidates fielded by major parties and Independents, with some parties announcing their candidates beforehand while others revealing them progressively across the election phases. BJP has nominated Bijuli Kalita Medhi, while Congress has put forth Mira Borthakur Goswami for the Guwahati constituency.