Guwahati (Assam) [India], April 9 : Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Thursday offered prayers at the Kamakhya Devi temple in Guwahati before casting his vote in the ongoing polling of the state assembly polls.
Sarma, who was accompanied by his wife Riniki Bhuyan Sharma, said that he prayed for the prosperity of the state at the Kamakhya Devi temple. "It is polling day today in Assam. I had the fortune to have a darshan of Maa Kamakhya on the polling day. May Assam flourish and people of the state advance, I prayed this to Maa," he told reporters.
The Assam CM is NDA candidate from the Jalukbari assembly seat, which has been his for nearly 25 years. Representing the seat since 2001 after defeating Asom Gana Parishad leader Bhrigu Kumar Phukan, Sarma has built a formidable base in the region.
In the 2021 Assam Assembly elections, Chief Minister Sarma won with 1,30,762 votes, securing 78.4 per cent of the total votes. He defeated Congress candidate Romen Chandra Borthakur, who received 28,851 votes (17.3 per cent). Independent candidates Hemanta Kumar Sut, Naba Kumar Nath and Moinul Hoque got 4,838, 1,218, and 1,141 votes, respectively. Sarma's victory margin stood at 1,01,911 votes.
Earlier in the day, Sarma urged voters to come out in numbers and cast their vote, while emphasising the importance of "each vote and voice" towards building "better Assam."
The response comes in the backdrop of single-phase polling, which began in Assam earlier in the day, across 126 constituencies.
"Today, Assam votes and each voice matters, each vote matters in the path of building a better Assam. On the occasion of this festival of democracy, I urge everyone to come out and vote in large numbers to strengthen democracy and take Assam to new heights," Sarma wrote on 'X'.
Meanwhile, voter turnout at 9 am on Thursday in Assam was recorded at 17.87 per cent, as per the Election Commission of India.
Earlier, the polling began for high-stakes electoral battles in two states, Assam and Keralam, as well as the Union Territory of Puducherry, on Thursday at 7 am with the Election Commission making arrangements for free, fair and smooth polling.
Voters queued outside polling stations to cast their votes in a single-phase assembly election.
In Assam, more than 2.5 crore electors are eligible to exercise their franchise for 126-member legislative assembly. There are 722 candidates in the fray.
Of 2,50,54,463 electors, 1,25,31,552 are male voters and 1,25,22,593 females. There are 318 voters in the Transgender category and 63,423 service voters.
Among the electorate, 6,42,314 voters are in the age group of 18-19 years, 2,50,006 are above 80 years of age, and 2,05,085 are persons with disabilities.
To strengthen the monitoring mechanism, webcasting facilities have been arranged in accordance with the Commission's directions, a release said.
Webcasting has been enabled in all 31,490 polling stations, including 31,486 main polling stations and 4 auxiliary polling stations. A total of 1,51,132 polling personnel have been deployed for the conduct of the election.
For polling purposes, 41,320 Ballot Units, 43,975 Control Units, and 43,997 VVPAT machines have been arranged, including reserves for emergency use. Additional polling personnel have also been kept in readiness, if required.
The Congress has stitched a six-party alliance to take on the ruling BJP-led NDA, which is seeking its third successive term in office.