The counting of votes for 126 assembly seats in Assam has started on May 2 morning. The polling took place in three phases in the state.
Officials said that all the protocols of COVID-19 have been followed and security has been beefed up to avoid any untoward incident.
Assam chief electoral officer (CEO) Nitin Khade said counting of votes are being held in 50 election districts (34 administrative districts) and there are three tiers of security put in place in and around the counting centres and adjoining areas.
According to the election officials, around 82.4 percent of the 2, 33,74,087-strong electorate including 1,15,50,403 women cast their votes in the three-phase election to the 126-member Assam assembly. This year’s voting percentage is 2.59 percent less than in the 2016 elections, where 84.63 percent of the 1,99,90,755-strong electorate had exercised their franchise.
Some of the prominent candidates whose fate will be decided are chief minister Sarbananda Sonowal (Majuli), finance, health and education minister Himanta Biswa Sarma (Jalukbari), assembly speaker Hitendra Nath Goswami (Jorhat), ruling BJP’s state president Ranjeet Kumar Dass (Patacharkuchi), Congress president Ripun Bora (Gohpur), party’s legislature party leader Debabrata Saikia (Nazira), Asom Gana Parishad president and minister Atul Bora (Bokakhat), jailed Raijor Dal president and prominent peasant leader Akhil Gogoi (Sivasagar) and Assam Jatiya Parishad president Lurinjyoti Gogoi (Duliajan).
