Assam witnesses voter turnout of 77% after phase one

As per election officials, 77 per cent of the 8,109,815 eligible voters in Assam cast their votes in the first phase today for 47 of the 126 assembly constituencies in the state. Off the 47 that went to poll today, the ruling BJP-led alliance won 35 seats in the 2016 assembly polls while Congress won nine and other parties won the remaining three.

"The turnout of voters is estimated at over 77 per cent. The percentage may increase a bit after the final compilation of reports from all the returning officers," a senior election official told IANS.

Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal, who cast his vote at Sahitya Sabha Bhavan in Dibrugarh today and is contesting from Majuli, told the media that the BJP would win over 100 seats in the Assembly this year. The voting, which started at 7 AM, went on till 6 PM after the election commission extended the time by an hour, given the pandemic situation.

Assam recorded a total voter turnout of 84 per cent in the 2016 Assembly polls. This year, it is held in three phases, and the subsequent two phases shall be held on April 1 and April 6.