Assembly Election 2021 Phase 2 voting percentage LIVE Updates: 63.04% turnout recorded in Assam till 3.30 pm

Assembly Election 2021 Phase 2 voting percentage LATEST Updates: As per latest figures from the EC’s voter turnout app, Assam has recorded 63.04 percent turnout till 3.30 pm across 39 Assembly constituencies where polling is underway in phase II of the elections.

Nalbari district, with 71 percent, witnessed the highest turnout while West Karbi Anglong registered the lowest turnout at 57.24 till 3.30 pm

According to the Election Commission’s voter turnout app, West Bengal recorded 71.07 percent voter turnout till 3.30 pm in phase II of the Assembly polls.

As per latest figures from the EC’s voter turnout app, Assam has recorded 49.12 percent turnout till 3 pm across 39 Assembly constituencies where polling is underway in phase II of the elections.

As per latest figures from the EC’s voter turnout app, Assam has recorded 48.26 percent turnout till 2.55 pm across 39 Assembly constituencies where polling is underway in phase II of the elections.

 As of 1.45 pm. 58.15 percent of West Bengal’s voters across 30 constituencies that went to the polls in the second phase of the Assembly elections have exercised their franchise.

The highest turnout of 60.32 percent was recorded in Purba Medinipur district, while the lowest of 48.13 percent was recorded in South 24 Parganas.

Till 1.17, Assam records voter turnout of 43.66 percent across 39 constituencies which went to the polls in the second phase of Assembly elections today. Hailakandi district registers highest poll percentage of 51.51 while the lowest is recorded in Bokajan (33.20).

By 12.45 pm, Keshpur (in Paschim Medinipur district) recorded the highest voter turnout in West Bengal, at 42.52 percent, while Sagar constituency in South 24 Parganas recorded the lowest, with 21 percent turnout.

Till 11.42 am, Hojai district in Assam recorded the highest poll percentage in the state at 33.29 percent while Dima Hasao, where a single constituency — Haflong — is voting, saw a turnout of 19 percent. Cachar district recorded a voter turnout of 25.58 percent, Darran 26.12 percent, Hailakandi 29.05 percent and Bokajan 33.20 percent.

 According to the approximate voter turnout trends released by the Election Commission till 11.15 am, West Bengal recorded a poll percent of 26.37 while Assam saw 20.07 percent turnout.

As of 10.20 am, West Bengal recorded an approximated voter turnout of 15.72 percent.  According to the approximate voter turnout trends released by the Election Commission, Indus Assembly constituency ( Bankua district) recorded the highest poll percentage of 20.37 while Kakdwip in South 24 Parganas saw the lowest at 6.50.

Of the 14 districts voting today, Karbi Anglong registered the highest voter turnout at 15.93 percent while, Morigaon on the other hand could manage only 6.39 percent.

As of 10 am, Assam recorded a voting percentage of 10.51 percent on Thursday during the second phase of Assembly polls.

Of the four districts voting today, Pashchim Medinipur registered highest turnout at 15.57 percent while, Bankura was the lowest at 3.74 percent.

According to the Election Commission, West Bengal recorded a voter percentage of 10.89 percent as of 9.20 am on Thursday in the second phase of Assembly polls.

Polling for the second phase of Assembly election started in Assam and West Bengal on Thursday. All eyes are on Nandigram where West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee is locked in a fierce prestige battle with confidante-turned-adversary Suvendu Adhikari of the BJP.

In the state of Assam, meanwhile, the fate of five ministers, the deputy speaker and a few significant opposition faces will be decided as 39 seats in Assam go to the polls in the second phase.

The state of West Bengal, which has 294 Assembly constituencies, is electing a new Assembly across an eight-phased election. Elections to the 126-member Assam assembly are being held in three-phases with 79.97 percent of the electorate exercising their franchise in 47 constituencies in the first phase on 27 March. The third and final phase elections will be held on 6 April for 40 seats.

The counting of votes will be done on 2 May after elections have concluded in all four states and Union Territory of Puducherry that are due for polls.

Assam 

A total of 345 candidates, including 26 women, are in the fray in this phase, the polling for which will be held from 7 am to 6 pm amid heavy security and strict COVID-19 guidelines. The ruling BJP is contesting 34 seats, while its allies Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) and United People’s Party Liberal (UPPL) are fighting in six and three seats, respectively.

There are “friendly contests” between the BJP and the AGP in Patharkandi and Algapur, while the BJP is engaged in similar fights with the UPPL in Majbat and Kalaigaon.

The Grand Alliance’s Congress is contesting in 28 seats, the AIUDF in seven and Bodoland Peoples’ Front (BPF) in four. The newly-formed Assam Jatiya Parishad (AJP) is contesting in 19 seats. There is a direct contest between the NDA and the Grand Alliance in 25 constituencies, while the rest are witnessing triangular fights.

BJP minister Parimal Suklabaidya is in a direct contest with Congress’s Kamakhya Prasad Mala in Dholai, while Deputy Speaker Aminul Haque Laskar of the BJP is in a straight contest with AIUDF’s Karim Uddin Barbhuiyan in Sonai. Minister Pijush Hazarika is locked in a triangular contest with Congress’s Swapan Kumar Mandal and AJP’s Bubul Das from Jagiroad (SC), and his cabinet colleague Bhabesh Kalita is in a direct fight with AJP’s Babul Saharia in the Rangiya constituency.

Rajya Sabha MP Biswajit Daimary is fighting against BPF’s Karuna Kanta Swargiary in Paneri, while AIUDF’s Sirajuddin Ajmal, a former MP and MLA, is fighting the elections against AGP’s Sadikullah Bhuyan from Jamunamukh.

Former Congress minister Gautam Roy, contesting on a BJP ticket from Katigora, is in a direct fight with his ex-party colleague Khalliluddin Mazumdar. Gautam’s son Rahul Roy, contesting as an Independent, is in a triangular contest with former Congress minister Ajit Singh and sitting BJP MLA Mihir Kanti Shome from Udharbond. Gautam Roy’s daughter-in-law Daisy Roy is also contesting as an Independent from Algapur where the AGP’s Aftabuddin Laskar and BJP’s Moon Swarnakar, in a ‘friendly contest’, will battle against sitting AIUDF MLA Nijamuddin Choudhury.

In Silchar, sitting BJP MLA Dilip Paul, now expelled from the party, is contesting as an Independent and is locked in a contest with BJP’s Dipayan Chakraborty and Congress’s Tamal Kanti Banik. Another BJP minister, Sum Ronghang, on being denied ticket joined the Congress and is locked in a direct fight against BJP’s Bidya Sing Engleng in Diphu.

The elections will be held amid tight security with 310 companies of forces being deployed for the second phase, an official said. Round-the-clock patrolling is being carried out along with strict vigil in critical areas in all the constituencies spread over 13 districts in Barak Valley, the Hills districts and parts of Central and Lower Assam.

A total of 73,44,631 voters will be deciding the fate of 345 candidates. Of these, 37,34,537 are male and 36,09,959 female, while 135 are third gender voters. Total 10,592 polling stations have been set up in 5,774 premises. There are 556 polling stations where only women officials will be deployed, while there are 117 model polling stations.

The webcasting facility will be available at 5,315 polling stations. Total 42,368 polling personnel have been deployed for the second phase. Of them, 1,516 left for their destinations on Tuesday itself to reach polling stations set up in remote locations, especially in the three hill districts of Dima Hasao, Karbi Anglong and West Karbi Anglong, official sources said.

Postal ballots have been issued to 21,281 people over 80 years old, and 5,407 Persons with Disabilities (PwD). Total 17,164 voters have been issued those through the Electronically Transmitted Postal Ballot System (ETPBS).

Bengal

Polling will be held in 30 seats in the second of the eight-phase West Bengal assembly election on Thursday.

The Election Commision has declared as sensitive all the 10,620 polling booths in 30 constituencies spread over four districts where polls will be held on Thursday.

It has deployed around 651 companies of central force to provide security, besides state police personnel at strategic locations during the polling, which will begin at 7 am.

More than 75 lakh voters will decide the fate of 191 candidates in the 30 seats spread across four districts of Purba and Paschim Medinipur, South 24 Parganas and Bankura.

A total 199 companies of Central Armed Police Force will be deployed in Purba Medinipur, 210 companies in Paschim Medinipur, 170 in South 24 Parganas and 72 in Bankura, the sources said.

TMC and BJP are contesting in all the 30 seats, while CPM is in the fray in 15 and its alliance partners in the Sanjukta Morcha the Congress and ISF are competing in 13 and two seats respectively.

Polling will take place amid strict COVID-19 guidelines in nine seats of Paschim Medinipur, eight in Bankura, four seats in South 24 Parganas and nine seats in Purba Medinipur – the home ground Suvendu Adhikari. Nandigram falls within the Purba Medinipur district.

Of the 30 seats which will see voting on Thursday, 23 were won by TMC in the 2016 Assembly elections, five by Left Front and Congress and BJP one each. The political equation in the state had changed in 2019 when BJP made massive inroads in the tribal-dominated Janga Mahal region and Medinipur belt by sweeping all the five Lok Sabha seats. The TMC, however, has been able to maintain its dominance in South 24 Parganas district, where there is sizeable minority population.

In the phase 2 polls, Nandigram is hands-down the most keenly watched contest which  has turned  into a battleground of titans with Banerjee suddenly deciding to switch from her Bhowanipur seat in Kolkata to the constituency which is held by Adhikari.

In the high stake poll battle this time a victory is a must for Banerjee, who is running for the third successive term as chief minister, so that she can lead the government and keep together her party, which is faced with exodus. For Adhikari it is a battle for political survival as a defeat would be a devastating blow and might also put a question mark on his political graph in his new party the BJP. For the Congress-Left-ISF alliance candidate Minakshi Mukherjee, the challenge is to regain her party’s lost ground.

Another notable seat going to the poll in the second phase is Sabang, where TMC has fielded its Rajya Sabha MP Manas Bhunia. He is up against TMC turncoat and BJP leader Amulya Maity. Bhunia, a former state Congress president, had won the seat from 1982 till 2016 as Congress nominee before switching over to the TMC in September 2016.

TMC has fielded actor Sayantika Banerjee, a popular face in the Bengali silver screen, from Bankura seat against BJP’s Niladri Sekhar Dana. The Sanjukta Morcha has fielded Congress candidate Radharani Banerjee.

In the Debra seat, two former IPS officers will cross swords. One is BJP candidate Bharati Ghosh and the other is Humayun Kabir of the TMC. Both had resigned from their senior police posts to join active politics.

With inputs from PTI