In a significant turnout, over 6,000 voters from the 85+ age group across 23 election districts in Assam have actively participated in the first phase of the home-voting process.
Joint Chief Electoral Officer Rahul Phukan announced that the first phase, conducted from April 4 to Tuesday, saw remarkable engagement, with 5,795 individuals casting their votes through postal ballots.
The second phase is set to commence from Friday, continuing until April 18, a day before the scheduled first phase of elections on April 19th.
The five Lok Sabha constituencies of Sonitpur, Lakhimpur, Dibrugarh, Jorhat, and Kaziranga, including nine assembly segments in Sonitpur and Lakhimpur, and ten each in Dibrugarh, Jorhat, and Kaziranga, are slated for voting on April 19.
With a total of 85,94,255 eligible voters set to determine the fate of 35 candidates in the first phase, notable contenders include Union Minister Sarbananda Sonowal and sitting MP Gaurav Gogoi.
Sonowal, contesting from Dibrugarh constituency, faces stiff competition from Assam Jatiya Parishad candidate Lurinjyoti Gogoi, a prominent figure in the state’s anti-Citizenship Amendment Act movement.
Meanwhile, Gaurav Gogoi, representing the Congress, vies for the Jorhat constituency, following the delimitation process, against BJP’s sitting MP Topon Kumar Gogoi.
Assam boasts over 2.43 crore voters, with the 85+ age group accounting for 1.18 lakh individuals, according to the Chief Electoral Officer.
The active participation of elderly voters underscores the significance of democratic engagement in the upcoming elections.