Assam Election 2021: Phase 1 Polling To Decide Fate Of CM Sarbananda Sonowal & Other Key Leaders In Fray

Assam Election 2021 Voting: A significant turnout has been witnessed at several booths as the poll began for 47 seats in the first phase of the assembly elections.

Guwahati: In Assam, voting began at 7 am on Saturday for 47 seats in the first phase of the assembly elections. The polling on this day will decide the fate of Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal, along with a host of ministers and opposition leaders.

264 candidates who are in the fray in Phase 1 include 23 women candidates, officials informed. The polling will continue till 6 pm.

For security, 300 companies of forces have been deployed in the first phase wherein people are voting at 11,537 polling stations across 12 districts of Upper Assam and the Northern Bank of Brahmaputra.

Officials revealed that the patrolling has been intensified and there is a strict vigil in all vulnerable areas.

On most of these seats, there is a triangular contest between the ruling BJP-AGP alliance, the Congress-led opposition alliance, and the newly-formed Assam Jatiya Parishad (AJP).

In this phase, a total of 81,09,815 voters are eligible to exercise their franchise - of them, 40,77,210 are male and 40,32,481 female, while 124 are third gender voters besides nine overseas voters.

A significant turnout has been witnessed at several booths as the poll began with many coming out to vote early.

Special measures are taken for People with Disabilities (PwD), including the provision of wheelchairs at every polling station and e-rickshaws for their commute.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi tweeted to urge voters for exercising their franchise in "record numbers".

CM Sonowal & Other Key Leaders In Fray

BJP is contesting 39 seats while its partner AGP is contesting 10. The allies are engaged in "friendly contests" in Lakhimpur and Naharkatiya constituencies.

As for the opposition, Congress has put up candidates in 43, and the AIUDF, CPI(ML-L), RJD and Anchalik Gana Morcha (contesting as Independent) in one each.

The newly-formed AJP is contesting in 41 seats, while there are 78 Independents, including 19 candidates of the newly-formed Raijor Dal.

Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal is in the fray from Majuli (ST) while the Speaker of the outgoing assembly Hitendranath Goswami is fighting the elections from Jorhat.

Ministers Ranjit Dutta (Behali), Naba Kumar Doley (Dhakuakha), Jogen Mohan (Mahmora), Terash Gowala (Duliajan) and Sanjoy Kishan (Tinsukia) are facing triangular contests with Congress or its allies, and the AJP.

Titabor, a high-profile seat which was held by former chief minister Tarun Gogoi for four successive terms, is undergoing a direct faceoff between Congress' Bhaskar Jyoti Barua and former MLA Hemanta Kalita.

Congress Legislature Party leader Debabrata Saikia and state Congress president Ripun Borah are contesting from Nazira and Gohpur, respectively. Raijor Dal leader Akhil Gogoi who in jail for his alleged role in the violent anti-CAA protests, is contesting as an Independent from Sivasagar.

AJP president Lurinjyoti Gogoi is contesting Duliajan and Naharkatiya.

Assam will undergo assembly elections in three phases. The results will be announced on May 2.