Dibrugarh (Assam) [India], April 9 : Union Minister for Ports, Shipping and Waterways Sarbananda Sonowal expressed confidence that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led NDA will secure a sweeping victory in the Assam Assembly elections, projecting that the alliance will win "around 100 seats".
"From day one, I have consistently cited this figure, that, together with our allies, we would secure around 100 seats. This conviction stems from the enthusiastic manner in which the public participated in our campaign," Sonowal said.
He credited the NDA government's performance over the past decade, stating that people have acknowledged the work done under Prime Minister Narendra Modi. "They feel that we have delivered significant social justice, enriched their lives, and established the necessary framework to guide them onto the path of development. They place immense trust and faith in Modi ji," he added.
Meanwhile, BJP National Vice President Baijayant Jay Panda offered prayers at the revered Kamakhya Temple ahead of polling and urged citizens to participate actively in the democratic process. Calling the day's "gentle drizzle" auspicious, Panda said, "This is a festival of democracy, and please be sure to exercise your right and cast your vote."
Polling began at 7 am across Assam's 126 constituencies as part of a broader electoral exercise also covering Keralam and Puducherry. According to the Election Commission of India, voter turnout stood at 17.87 per cent till 9 am.
Assam has over 2.5 crore electors who are eligible to exercise their franchise for the 126-member legislative assembly. There are 722 candidates in the fray. Of 2,50,54,463 electors, 1,25,31,552 are male voters and 1,25,22,593 females. There are 318 Transgender voters and 63,423 service voters. Among the electorate, 6,42,314 voters are in the age group of 18-19 years, 2,50,006 are above 80 years of age, and 2,05,085 are persons with disabilities.
To strengthen the monitoring mechanism, webcasting facilities have been arranged in accordance with the Commission's directions, a release said. Webcasting has been enabled in all 31,490 polling stations, including 31,486 main polling stations and four auxiliary polling stations.
A total of 1,51,132 polling personnel have been deployed for the conduct of the election. For polling purposes, 41,320 Ballot Units, 43,975 Control Units, and 43,997 VVPAT machines have been arranged, including reserves for emergency use. Additional polling personnel have also been kept in readiness, if required.
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