Guwahati, Mar 7: Over 70 percent voters cast their votes in the by-election to the prestigious Majuli Assembly constituency till 4 p.m. on Monday and, according to the officials, the balloting had been peaceful so far.
The voting for the bypolls began at 7 a.m. in the morning and concluded at 5 p.m. Central Armed Police Forces troopers maintained a strict vigil in Majuli Assembly constituency, where 1,33,227 electorate, including 65,408 women, were eligible to exercise their franchise in 203 polling stations to decide the electoral fate of three candidates.
In a triangular contest, the ruling BJP’s candidate Bhuban Gam, the Assam Jatiya Parishad nominee Chittaranjan Basumatary and Socialist Unity Centre of India (Communist) aspirant Bhaity Richong are in the fray.
The Congress and other opposition parties are supporting Basumatary. The Election Commission is strictly adhering to the mandatory Covid protocols, including thermal scanning, wearing of masks and use of hand sanitiser by both voters and polling personnel.
The by-election to the politically important constituency was necessitated after former Assam Chief Minister and incumbent Union Minister Sarbananda Sonowal resigned from the Assembly and was elected to the Rajya Sabha in September last year paving the way for Himanta Biswa Sarma to become the Chief Minister.
