Voting kicked off at 7am on Thursday across 126 assembly constituencies in Assam, with voters queuing outside polling stations ahead of time at many places. Authorities have allowed voters who arrive at the polling station before the voting ends at 5pm to cast their votes even after.
Over 25 million voters are eligible to vote for 722 candidates, including 59 women, in the fray. Notable candidates include Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, Congress state chief Gaurav Gogoi, and All India United Democratic Front leader Badruddin Ajmal.
The electorate includes 6,42,314 voters in the 18-19 age group, 2,50,006 above 80, and 2,05,085 persons with disabilities. A total of 26,032 people over 85 and 8,373 persons with disabilities have voted through postal ballots.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has appealed to the people of Assam to vote in large numbers, while Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma urged voters to make their voices heard in the path of building a better Assam.
Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge said the change is palpable in Assam, urging voters to come together and defeat the politics of division, exclusion, and apathy with the power of their vote.
Webcasting has been enabled across all 31,490 polling stations, with Central Armed Police Forces deployed to ensure security and micro observers overseeing polling at sensitive stations.
