Assam bypolls: 47 per cent polling till 1 PM

GUWAHATI: Altogether 47 per cent polling was recorded till 1 PM in the bye-election to three Assam Assembly constituencies of Silchar, Lakhipur and Jamunamukh today to decide the fate of 25 contestants, Election Office here said.

Polling began peacefully at 7 AM in the three constituencies where 5,09,689 voters, including 2,44,543 women, are expected to exercise their franchise in 588 polling stations till the closing time of voting at 5 PM, it said.

Both constituencies, 9-Silchar and 90-Jamunamukh recorded 47 per cent polling each, while 13-Lakhipur seat registered 54 per cent voting.

Arun Dutta Majumdar (Congress), Dilip Kumar Paul (BJP) and Nur Ahmed Barbhuyan (AIUDF) are the prominent contestants among 12 in Silchar, while former Congress MLA Dinesh Prasad Goala's son Rajdeep Goala (Congress), Mukesh Pandey (AIUDF) and Sanjay Thakur (BJP) are notables among eight contestants in Lakhipur.

Jamunamukh has AIUDF president Badruddin Ajmal's son Abdur Rahim Ajmal, Bashir Uddin Laskar (Cong) and Bilal Uddin (BJP), besides two others in the fray.

The bye-election was necessitated following the election of Silchar Congress MLA Sushmita Dev and Jamunamukh AIUDF MLA Mohammad Sirajuddin Ajmal to the Lok Sabha during the last general elections.

The death of sitting Congress MLA Dinesh Prasad Goala necessitated bypoll in Lakhipur. Counting of votes will be on September 16, the Election Office added.