With 82.2 per cent turnout, Assam sets momentum

Phase I of assembly election 2016

BY OUR STAFF REPORTER

GUWAHATI, April 5: A record 82.2 per cent turnout was witnessed in the fil count of polling in the first phase of Assam assembly election 2016, held on Monday. Compared to 2011, the State this time witnessed a sharp rise of 10.07 per cent polling.

Compared to male voters, the participation of female voters this time around was more overwhelming with a turnout of 82.58 per cent, whereas the male voters turnout was 81.84 per cent. There were total 45,99,635 female voters this time whereas the number of male voters was 49,19,432 in the 65 constituencies which went for polls in the first phase.

In each district that went to the polls yesterday, compared to the 2011 election, the turnout was massive. The Dima Hasao district, which witnessed a polling turnout of only 50.91 per cent in the last assembly election, this time recorded a turnout of 81.67 per cent. Interestingly, Dima Hasao has only one constituency in the entire district i.e. Haflong.

Among all the districts, Golaghat witnessed the highest voter turnout with 84.24 per cent on Monday. It was 75.8 per cent in 2011.

oboicha constituency witnessed the highest turnout among all the LACs with 88.07 per cent whereas the lowest turnout was recorded at Silchar where polling was 75.05 per cent.

In Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi’s home constituency Titabor, the turnout was 83.42 per cent, whereas Majuli, from where BJP’s chief ministerial candidate Sarbanda Sonowal is contesting, 83.4 per cent turnout was recorded.

Similarly in Lakhimpur, 84.58 per cent turnout was recorded, in Margherita 84 per cent, in Tezpur 82.19, in Sadiya 77.29, in Diphu 80.11, in Udalguri 81.99, Golaghat 84.06, Jorhat 79.71, Amguri 85.79, Sibsagar 81.86, Sori 86.38, Dhemaji 80.65, Moran 83.19 and Dibrugarh 80.95 per cent.

If the second phase witnesses a similar turnout, Assam will set a record, as the highest turnout recorded was in 1996 with 78.92 per cent. In last Lok Sabha election, however, the turnout was more than 80 per cent in Assam.

It may be mentioned, when The Sentinel talked to a cross-section of voters on Monday, most of them said that they had voted for change, but, it is not clear as to what change they are seeking, as both the Congress and the BJP are manipulating the ‘change’ word for their own mileage. The BJP has to say that this ‘change’ is in their favour whereas the Congress has to say that this ‘change’ means the people want more development and stability under Congress rule.