Guwahati, Nov 13: The voter turnout in five assembly constituencies in Assam reached 49.76% by 1 pm on Wednesday, according to officials from the Election Department.
The highest turnout was reported in Behali, with 55.6% of eligible voters casting their ballots. Samaguri followed with a turnout of 51.2%. Other constituencies reported as follows: Sidli (ST) at 49.82%, Bongaigaon at 50.32%, and Dholai at 44.05%.
Voting in Assam’s assembly by-polls was largely peaceful across the constituencies, barring a few stray incidents in Samaguri. A clash between BJP and Congress workers was reported in Salbari under the Samaguri constituency, where some police personnel were also allegedly assaulted.
The by-elections are taking place in five constituencies—Dholai (SC), Sidli (ST), Bongaigaon, Behali, and Samaguri—which became vacant after the representatives were elected to the Lok Sabha.
9,09,057 electors, including 4,54,963 women and 19 from the third gender, are eligible to vote in this by-election, with 34 candidates in the fray. Assam Chief Electoral Officer Anurag Goel reported that polling began at 5:30 am with a steady flow of voters forming long queues at polling stations.
Some EVM malfunctions were reported during both mock polling and initial voting, but the machines were promptly replaced from reserves, ensuring a smooth continuation of the voting process.
