Bypoll to Majuli Assembly seat in Assam peaceful, 32.40% voter turnout recorded till 11 a.m.
The Hindu
By-election to Majuli Assembly constituency in Assam has been peaceful with around 32.40% of electors exercising their franchise in the first four hours of polling on March 7, an official said.
The voting began at 7 a.m.
“Polling has so far been peaceful. No untoward incident has been reported from any of 203 polling stations,” the Election Commission official said.
Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) personnel are maintaining a strict vigil in Majuli, the world’s largest river island, he said.
Long queues were seen outside many booths as people turned up early for casting their votes, while Election Commission officials have been asked to ensure strict adherence to COVID-19 protocols, he said.
“Wearing of masks and availability of hand sanitiser at polling stations were made mandatory. Thermal scanning facility at each booth has also been arranged for,” the EC official said.
The by-election to the constituency was necessitated after former Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal resigned from the Assembly.
The election authorities are gearing up for the counting of votes cast in the simultaneous elections to Lok Sabha and Assembly seats in Andhra Pradesh, scheduled to be held on June 4. The Collectors and Election Officers of Visakhapatnam, Anakapalli and Alluri Sitharama Raju (ASR) districts said on May 23 (Thursday) that their teams were ready for the counting of votes.
Responding to the prolonged water scarcity, the residents of the area took to the streets in protest on Wednesday. The protest, which drew attention to their plight, stopped only after the intervention of the police. It was not until 1.30 p.m. that a 4000-litre tanker was finally delivered by BWSSB, providing relief to the water-starved residents.