Lok Sabha polls: 74.19 per cent votes polled in Assam in first phase

GUWAHATI: Altogether 74.19 per cent of the total 64,41,634 electorate exercised their franchise in the five Lok Sabha constituencies of Assam where elections were held in the first phase, election office said here today.

Kaliabor, where Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi's son Gaurav Gogoi contested as the Congress candidate, recorded the highest turnout of 75.94 per cent while neighbouring Jorhat came second with 75.68 per cent polling yesterday.

Tezpur followed with 74 per cent while Lakhimpur and Dibrugarh followed close behind with 72.76 and 72.56 per cent respectively.

In Kaliabor LS constituency, the highest turnout of 82.06 per cent was recorded in Kaliabor assembly segment while the least 66.04 per cent was recorded in the two segments of Golaghat and Khumtai.

Four Assembly seats - Dhing, Batadroba, Rupohihat and Samaguri - in Kaliabor recorded the same turnout of 80 per cent each.

In Jorhat, the highest turnout of 78.9 per cent was recorded in Mahmara and Sonari while the least turnout was in Titabor and Maraini at 70 per cent.

In Tezpur, the highest turnout was 77 per cent at Gohpur and the least was 70 per cent in Sootea.

In Dibrugarh, the highest turnout of 79 per cent was recorded at Margherita while the least 71.34 per cent was polled in six Assembly constituencies of Moran, Dibrugarh, Lahowal, Duliajan, Tingkhong and Naharkatia.

In Lakhimpur, the highest turnout of 78 per cent was recorded in Dhakuakhan (ST) and the least of 68.3 per cent in Sadiya, while the turnout in the world's largest river island Majuli (ST) was 70 per cent.

First phase polling ended at 5 pm yesterday but people who had been in queue at that time were allowed to cast their votes and the process continued till about 9 pm.