Assam: Long queues outside polling booths, voting under way in 5 LS seats

Guwahati: Voters queued up in large numbers outside booths across all five parliamentary constituencies in Assam, where polling is underway in the second phase on Friday.

Polling commenced at 7 am in Karimganj, Silchar, Diphu, Nagaon and Darrang-Udalguri constituencies to decide the fate of 61 candidates.

Appealing to people to exercise their franchise, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma in a post on X said: "As Assam goes to polls on Phase II of the #LokSabhaElections2024, I urge every citizen to vote in large numbers. Your vote is precious and will shape the direction of Bharat in the years to come."

Altogether 77,26,668 electors, including 38,61,559 women and 179 third gender, are likely to exercise their franchise in 9,133 polling stations in this phase.

“The Met Department has forecast hot and humid conditions for today. That is why all four members of our family came to vote early morning,” first-time voter Shatabdi Roy said at a polling booth in Silchar.

Young women were seen carrying their infants while coming to the polling stations, while elderly people were assisted by volunteers at the booths.

"My mother had the choice to vote from home, but she did not opt for it. She always enjoys coming to the polling station with neighbours and voting with them," said Ramen Boro, standing beside his 87-year-old mother Minati Boro in Udalguri.

However, malfunctioning of a number of Electronic Voting Machines (EVM) were reported in the five constituencies, officials said.

At several places, voting could not start for almost an hour, they said.

Meanwhile, a scuffle broke out at a polling centre in Laharighat between two groups of voters over standing in the queue. Police personnel present at the spot intervened and the situation was brought under control within minutes, the officials said.

"Most of the glitches were noticed during the mock poll, which started 90 minutes before the commencement of the actual voting. Those were rectified immediately. Voting started a little late in such booths and is underway smoothly," a poll official said.

More than 36,000 election officials and around 40,000 security personnel have been engaged during the second phase of polling.