LS elections: Assam records 77.35 pc voter turnout in second phase of polls

GUWAHATI: Assam recorded 77.35 per cent voter turnout in the second phase of polls, which was held in five parliamentary constituencies in the state on April 26.

According to the Election Commission, 77.35 per cent of voters in five parliamentary constituencies - Silchar, Karimganj, Diphu, Nagaon and Darrang-Udalguri, came out to exercise their franchise in the second phase of polls.

80.56 per cent voter turnout was recorded in Nagaon parliamentary constituency, while 78.41 per cent voter turnout was recorded in Darrang-Udalguri, 75.97 per cent in Silchar, 75.63 per cent in Karimganj and 73.11 per cent in Diphu seat.

Assam recorded a 78.25 per cent polling percentage in the first phase of polls in five parliamentary constituencies - Jorhat, Dibrugarh, Lakhimpur, Kaziranga and Sonitpur on April 19.

The third phase of polls in four Lok Sabha seats in Assam - Guwahati, Barpeta, Kokrajhar and Dhubri will be held on May 7.

Forty-seven candidates are in the fray in the third phase of polls and more than 81 lakh voters will exercise their franchise.

Voting for the second phase took place on Friday across 88 Lok Sabha constituencies, including all 20 seats in Kerala, 14 in Karnataka, 13 in Rajasthan, eight in Maharashtra and Uttar Pradesh, five each in Assam and Bihar, six in Madhya Pradesh, three each in Chhattisgarh and West Bengal, and one each in Tripura, Manipur and Jammu and Kashmir

. The first phase of voting for the seven-phased Lok Sabha election was held on April 19 in 102 constituencies across 21 states and UTs, with over 62 per cent voter turnout.

In the 2014 Lok Sabha election in Assam, the BJP secured 7 of the 14 seats. The Congress and the All India United Democratic Front (AIUDF) were only able to win three seats each. However during the 2019 elections, the BJP increased its seat count to 9, while the Congress maintained its three seats, but the AIUDF was only able to win a single seat.