Guwahati, May 7: The third and final phase of Lok Sabha elections in Assam witnessed an estimated overall voter turnout of 74.86 per cent across four constituencies by 5pm on Tuesday.
Among the four Lok Sabha constituencies, Dhubri, which led the way in terms of voter turnout throughout the day, recorded the highest polling percentage by evening at 79.7 percent, followed by Barpeta at 76.2 percent, Kokrajhar at 74.2 percent and Guwahati at 67.6 percent.
Polling was conducted by and large peacefully as voters, first-time electors, young, middle-aged, senior citizens, braved the inclement weather from early morning to queue up in their respective booths for hours and exercise their democratic right.
Many were seen coming to the polling centres here in umbrellas, even as the weather gods were kind in the afternoon, with the sun making its way out of overcast skies by 3pm.
The elderly voters, especially the octogenarians and nonagenarians, were assisted by a family member and “sarathi baideo” (female assistant), in casting their votes with separate queues arranged for senior citizens at the polling stations.
Notably, 81,49,091 eligible electors were expected to turn out in as many as 9516 polling stations during the third phase.
As many as 40705 voters were in the age category of 85 years and above, of which 1529 voters were above 100 years of age.
Many enthusiastic young and first-time voters, male and female, were seen waiting patiently for their turn to vote. As it is, 2,10,177 voters were first-time voters in the age group of 18 to 19 years in the final phase and as many as 2300787 electors in the 20 to 29 years age category.
“Despite the morning drizzle, I came early to vote to avoid the peak-hour rush. This was my first chance to vote and it feels great to be a part of the festival of democracy,” said 21-year-old Adriraj Gogoi after casting his vote at a polling booth in the Noonmati area.
Many youngsters were seen taking selfies to capture the moments of being a part of the electoral process in their smartphones. Selfie points were also set up in some polling centres here.
Forty-seven candidates for four parliamentary constituencies, Guwahati, Kokrajhar, Dhubri and Barpeta, were in the fray, of which six were female.
In the first phase of polls, Assam recorded a voter turnout of 75.95 percent across five parliamentary constituencies in the state, while in the second phase of polling for five Lok Sabha constituencies, the voter turnout stood at 81.17 percent.
The high polling percentage in the three phases can be attributed to innovative engagement drills to encourage people to vote.
District election officers and polling personnel in the state had taken up various activities under Systematic Voters’ Education and Electoral Participation (SVEEP), the flagship programme of the Election Commission of India for voter education, in a bid to encourage people to cast their votes ahead of all the three phases.
Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, after casting his vote in the afternoon, told reporters that the third phase polls were held peacefully in the state and that the BJP and its allies were anticipating success.
“I believe that BJP and its alliance partners will achieve good results. People have voted for progress and a landslide win for the Prime Minister is anticipated,” Sarma said, while paying his gratitude to the people of the state for playing an active part in the electoral process.