70.77% polling in Assam’s 5 seats in first phase of LS poll

Syllad | The Rising MeghalayaApril 19, 2024

A total of 70.77 voter turnout has been recorded in Assam’s five Lok Sabha constituencies during the first phase of voting on Friday as on 5 pm.

The overall turnout in Dibrugarh Lok Sabha constituency is 70.65 per cent, Jorhat 71 per cent, Kaziranga 68.9 per cent and Sonitpur recorded 69.84 per cent voting till 5 am, and official of the Election Commission of India (ECI) said here.

The voter turnout in four assembly segments of Lakhimpur constituency was recorded as 67 per cent in Bihpuria LAC, 66 per cent in Rongonadi LAC, 66 per cent in Nowboicha LAC and 67 per cent in Lakhimpur LAC.

Union minister and BJP candidate in Dibrugarh Lok Sabha seat, Sarbananda Sonowal cast his vote at the Sahitya Sabha Polling Booth in Dibrugarh town.

Sonowal is locked in a contest with former AASU leader and United Opposition Forum candidate Lurinjyoti Gogoi.

“Democracy will be made stronger by the people’s participation. I have seen voters coming out in huge numbers, which is a good sign for democracy and it also showed that people are happy with our work,” Sonowal said.

Sonowal also mentioned that Prime Minister Narendra Modi brought changes to the people’s lives and that is why everybody is happy with the BJP government.

Sonowal won the Dibrugarh Lok Sabha seat in the 2004 general election on the Asom Gana Parishad’s (AGP) ticket.

After joining the BJP in 2011, he fought the Lok Sabha polls in 2014 from Lakhimpur parliamentary constituency and defeated the then Union minister Ranee Naraha.

Sonowal quit Lok Sabha in 2016 after he became the chief minister of Assam.

In 2021, he was again included in central politics by the BJP top brass and elected to the Upper House of Parliament 2021.

This time he was given a ticket from the BJP in Dibrugarh to contest the parliamentary elections as the party dropped sitting MP and Union Minister Rameshwar Teli.

The Congress chose not to field any candidate in Dibrugarh and gave this seat to its ally Assam Jatiya Parishad (AJP)’s president Lurinjyoti Gogoi.

Lurinjyoti Gogoi cast his vote at No 31 Laipuli ME School Polling Centre in the morning.

AAP candidate Manoj Dhanowar cast his vote Dainijan Gaon LP School Polling Station at around 8.30 am.

Congress candidate Gaurav Gogoi cast his vote.

“As polling for Indian General Elections to the 18th Lok Sabha begins, I did my bit to secure the future of India’s democracy and defend the Constitution of India,” Gogoi said in a post on X after casting his vote.