<p>Assam registered 79.05% voting on Saturday during the first phase of Assembly elections, in which polling was conducted for 47 of 126 seats.</p>.<p>No violent incident was reported during the polling conducted in eastern and North Assam constituencies.</p>.<p>Voting began at 7 am and only 25% of voters turned up till 11 am but the polling picked up in the afternoon. By 5 pm, 72% of voters had exercised their franchise. The poll percentage could further go up as many queued up before 6 pm to cast their vote. </p>.<p><strong>Read: <a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/national/east-and-northeast/refugees-in-assam-will-be-given-citizenship-rights-but-infiltrators-unwelcome-amit-shah-966935.html" target="_blank">Refugees in Assam will be given citizenship rights, but infiltrators unwelcome: Amit Shah</a></strong></p>.<p>A total of 264 candidates including 23 women were in the fray.</p>.<p>Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal, Speaker of Assam Legislative Assembly, Hitendra Nath Goswami, Congress leader Gaurav Gogoi, AGP president Atul Bora, Lurinjyoti Gogoi of Assam Jatiya Parishad, former Congress minister Rakibul Hussain were among the prominent politicians who cast their votes. Sonowal cast his vote in his home constituency Dibrugarh but he is contesting from Majuli. Gaurav, a Lok Sabha member, is not contesting the Assembly elections.</p>.<p>The first phase had 81,09,815 voters, out of the total 2,33,74,087 electorates in Assam. However, voters in the tea gardens and those opposed to the CAA were the focus of the first phase of polling. </p>.<p><strong>Also Read: <a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/national/east-and-northeast/assam-polls-anti-caa-rumblings-to-be-tested-in-phase-1-966900.html" target="_blank">Assam polls: Anti-CAA rumblings to be tested in Phase 1</a></strong></p>.<p>BJP in 2016 Assembly elections had bagged 35 of the 47 seats but the anti-CAA agitation that rocked Assam in 2019 posed a threat to the saffron party's prospect. But BJP leaders tried to downplay the issue saying that people were not concerned over the CAA and happily voted for their candidates due to the development works since 2016. BJP general secretary, Dilip Saikia said they would win 43 seats in the first phase. Congress claimed the indigenous Assamese voters gave BJP a "befitting reply" in the first phase for bringing in the CAA. </p>.<p>BJP this time is contesting in 39 of the 47 seats while its ally AGP put up its candidates in 10 seats (friendly fight in two seats). Congress, on the other hand, is fighting in 43 seats while Assam Jatiya Parishad, a new party backed by the influential All Assam Students Union is fighting in 41 seats. </p>.<p>Akhil Gogoi, who floated his new party, Raijor Dal is contesting in Sivasagar from within judicial custody. Akhil, who was arrested during the anti-CAA agitation in December 2019, is facing a sedition charge for his alleged links with the Maoists. </p>.<p>Election for 39 seats will be held in the second phase on April 1 and for 40 seats in the third and final phase on April 6.</p>
<p>Assam registered 79.05% voting on Saturday during the first phase of Assembly elections, in which polling was conducted for 47 of 126 seats.</p>.<p>No violent incident was reported during the polling conducted in eastern and North Assam constituencies.</p>.<p>Voting began at 7 am and only 25% of voters turned up till 11 am but the polling picked up in the afternoon. By 5 pm, 72% of voters had exercised their franchise. The poll percentage could further go up as many queued up before 6 pm to cast their vote. </p>.<p><strong>Read: <a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/national/east-and-northeast/refugees-in-assam-will-be-given-citizenship-rights-but-infiltrators-unwelcome-amit-shah-966935.html" target="_blank">Refugees in Assam will be given citizenship rights, but infiltrators unwelcome: Amit Shah</a></strong></p>.<p>A total of 264 candidates including 23 women were in the fray.</p>.<p>Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal, Speaker of Assam Legislative Assembly, Hitendra Nath Goswami, Congress leader Gaurav Gogoi, AGP president Atul Bora, Lurinjyoti Gogoi of Assam Jatiya Parishad, former Congress minister Rakibul Hussain were among the prominent politicians who cast their votes. Sonowal cast his vote in his home constituency Dibrugarh but he is contesting from Majuli. Gaurav, a Lok Sabha member, is not contesting the Assembly elections.</p>.<p>The first phase had 81,09,815 voters, out of the total 2,33,74,087 electorates in Assam. However, voters in the tea gardens and those opposed to the CAA were the focus of the first phase of polling. </p>.<p><strong>Also Read: <a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/national/east-and-northeast/assam-polls-anti-caa-rumblings-to-be-tested-in-phase-1-966900.html" target="_blank">Assam polls: Anti-CAA rumblings to be tested in Phase 1</a></strong></p>.<p>BJP in 2016 Assembly elections had bagged 35 of the 47 seats but the anti-CAA agitation that rocked Assam in 2019 posed a threat to the saffron party's prospect. But BJP leaders tried to downplay the issue saying that people were not concerned over the CAA and happily voted for their candidates due to the development works since 2016. BJP general secretary, Dilip Saikia said they would win 43 seats in the first phase. Congress claimed the indigenous Assamese voters gave BJP a "befitting reply" in the first phase for bringing in the CAA. </p>.<p>BJP this time is contesting in 39 of the 47 seats while its ally AGP put up its candidates in 10 seats (friendly fight in two seats). Congress, on the other hand, is fighting in 43 seats while Assam Jatiya Parishad, a new party backed by the influential All Assam Students Union is fighting in 41 seats. </p>.<p>Akhil Gogoi, who floated his new party, Raijor Dal is contesting in Sivasagar from within judicial custody. Akhil, who was arrested during the anti-CAA agitation in December 2019, is facing a sedition charge for his alleged links with the Maoists. </p>.<p>Election for 39 seats will be held in the second phase on April 1 and for 40 seats in the third and final phase on April 6.</p>
