Guwahati, March 8 : The by-election to Majuli (ST) Legislative Assembly Constituency (LAC) was conducted peacefully across 203 polling stations in the Upper Assam seat with an estimated voter turnout of 65.16 percent registered till 5pm on Monday.
No untoward incident was reported from any part of the constituency till the filing of this report.
The bypoll was necessitated after former chief minister Sarbananda Sonowal vacated the seat last year.
The candidates vying for votes are ruling BJP candidate, Bhuban Gam; Opposition’s ‘consensus’ nominee, Chittaranjan Basumatary of Assam Jatiya Parishad (AJP) and Bhaity Richong of the SUCI(C).
Meanwhile, Assam chief electoral officer (CEO), Nitin Khade appreciated the efforts and cooperation extended by the people of the river island and thanked all for the successful conduct of the by-election.
On the overall conduct and smooth completion of the poll, the CEO said, “I thank all the voters, polling officials, staff and the stakeholders who participated today in this democratic exercise. The team effort of everyone is much appreciated. All safety protocols on COVID-19 were maintained.”
Assuring all the stakeholders, the CEO shared that “Adequate security measures have been put in place to maintain strict vigil for the safety, security and sanctity of the strong room where all the polled electronic voting machines (EVMs) shall be stored, till the process of counting is successfully concluded on March 10.”
An estimated electorate of 1.33 lakh people were eligible to exercise their franchise in the by elections.
Divyaang (persons with disability/PwD) voters also took active part in the electoral process in the river island.
Altogether, 400 divyaang electors were eligible to exercise their franchise.
Free transportation facilities to and from polling stations were made available to the PwD voters through the Divyaang Sarathi Nirvachan App which was reactivated recently by the CEO Assam to make the by-poll accessible and all-inclusive.
