October 18, 2024 5:09 PM.
In Assam, the byelections in five assembly seats will be held as per the pre-delimited constituencies. Talking to newspersons in Guwahati, Chief Electoral Officer Anurag Goel said that with the issuance of the notification, the nomination process has begun today.
However, Mr Goel made it clear that voters shouldn’t worry about the EPIC cards, as both old and new cards will be allowed on polling day. Mr. Goel said that over 9 lakh voters can vote in the by-elections.
The bypolls for Dholai (SC), Samaguri, Behali, Bongaigaon, and Sidli (ST) constituencies have been necessitated after their respective MLAs were elected to the Lok Sabha earlier this year. Out of a total electorate of 910,665, 455,924 are women and 454,722 are men. Additionally, 4,389 voters with physical disabilities and 3,788 voters over the age of 85 will also participate.
Voting will be conducted across 1,078 polling stations, with Sidli (ST) having the highest number of booths at 273, while Behali has the lowest with 154. The polling hours will be from 7 am to 5 pm, ensuring that voters present at the polling stations before closing will be allowed to vote.
Goel assured that preparations for the bypolls are on track, with sufficient stock of Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) and the first randomisation scheduled for Saturday. “The model code of conduct is already in effect across the districts where these constituencies are located,” he said.