Polling began at 7 am on Tuesday for the four Lok Sabha constituencies in Assam going to polls in the third phase.
Guwahati, Kokrajhar, Dhubri and Barpeta Lok Sabha constituencies in Assam are going to polls in the third phase on Tuesday.
A total of 54 candidates are in the fray for the third phase of elections in Assam including 17 candidates from Guwahati Lok Sabha constituency, 15 candidates from Dhubri Lok Sabha constituency, 13 candidates from Barpeta Lok Sabha constituency and nine candidates from the Kokrajhar Lok Sabha constituency.
There are a total of 74, 77,062 eligible electorates including 36, 61,570 females and 157 voters belonging to third gender, according to election department officials.
While ruling BJP has fielded former mayor of Guwahati city, Queen Oja for the prestigious Guwahati Lok Sabha constituency, Congress has pitted senior party leader Bobbeeta Sharma in the constituency.
Queen Oja was one of the first voters to have cast her vote at the Lachit Nagar primary school in Guwahati on Tuesday.
Although there are 17 candidates in the fray for Guwahati, Supreme Court advocate Upamanyu Hazarika is one of the strong candidates contesting the polls for the Guwahati seat.
Hazarika who had been very vocal against the BJP-led government in Assam over the issue of infiltration from Bangladesh, is making illegal infiltration posing threat to the indigenous people of Assam as his main poll plank.
Out of the nine candidates contesting the Kokrajhar Lok Sabha seat, prominent among them includes Assam’s social welfare minister Pramila Rani Brahma, Cogress’ Sabda Ram Rabha and sitting Lok Sabha MP and independent candidate, Naba Kumar Sarania.
Prominent Bodo nationalist leader Urkhao Gwra Brahma of the United Peoples’ Party (Liberal) is also a strong contender for the forthcoming polls in the constituency.
The Barpeta Lok Sabha constituency on the other hand has 13 candidates in the fray which includes former Rajya Sabha MP Kumar Deepak Das of the Asom Gana Parishad (AGP), Jania legislator Abdul Khaleque of Congress and Rafiqul Islam of the All India United Democratic Front (AIUDF).
Kumar Deepak Das’ candidature is supported by the BJP as AGP and BJP have entered into a pre-poll alliance.
The Dhubri Lok Sabha constituency has 15 candidates contesting the polls so far including sitting MP and AIUDF chief Badruddin Ajmal, Abu Taher Bepari of the Congress and Zabed Islam of the AGP.