5 Lok Sabha seats in Assam register voter turnout of 27.43% till 11 am

An estimated 27.43 per cent of 77,26,668 voters exercised their franchise till 11 am in the five parliamentary constituencies of Assam, where polling is underway in the second phase on Friday, election officials said.

The highest polling of 30.82 per cent was recorded in Diphu (ST), followed by 29.99 per cent in Karimganj, 28.81 per cent at Darrang-Udalguri, 25.29 per cent in Nagaon and the lowest 23.20 per cent in Silchar, they said.

Polling began at 7 am and will continue till 5 pm. Sixty-one candidates are in the fray in this phase.

Prominent candidates who exercised their franchise are Assam Minister for Excise, Transport and Fisheries Parimal Suklabaidya and his Congress rival Surya Kanta Sarkar in Silchar (SC), sitting BJP MP Kripanath Malla in Karimganj, BJP candidate Amarsing Tisso and his Congress rival Joyram Engleng in Diphu (ST) and sitting Congress MP Pradyut Bordoloi and his BJP rival Suresh Bora in Nagaon. Altogether 77,26,668 voters, including 38,61,559 women and 179 third gender, are likely to exercise their franchise in 9,133 polling stations.