GUWAHATI: After the Election Commission of India (ECI) announced the dates for the upcoming by-elections, Assam Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Anurag Goel confirmed on Friday that nine flying squad teams have been deployed across five districts where the elections will take place.
During a press conference in Guwahati, CEO Goel stated, "Flying squad teams have been assigned to Nagaon, Bongaigaon, Biswanath, Chirang, Cachar, and parts of Kokrajhar districts as the Model Code of Conduct (MCC) is now in effect."
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In total, 9,10,665 voters, including 19 third-gender voters, will cast their ballots at 1,078 polling stations across the five constituencies: Dholai (SC), Sidli (ST), Bongaigaon, Behali, and Samaguri.
Goel also shared updates on the electronic voting machines (EVMs), stating, "All five constituencies have more than twice the required stock of EVMs. The first randomisation of the machines will occur on October 19, with the second randomisation set for November 1. The commissioning of the EVMs will take place on November 4." The by-elections for these five assembly seats are scheduled for November 13.
These seats became vacant earlier this year as several MLAs shifted their focus to parliamentary positions during the Lok Sabha elections. Notable MLAs who transitioned include BJP’s Parimal Suklabaidya, who previously represented the Dholai Assembly constituency and won the Cachar Lok Sabha seat, and Ranjit Dutta, who moved from Behali to win the Tezpur parliamentary seat. Veteran AGP leader Phani Bhushan Choudhury, who had held the Bongaigaon constituency since 1985, successfully secured the Barpeta Lok Sabha seat, while UPPL’s Joyanta Basumatary, formerly the MLA from Sidli, won the Kokrajhar seat. Congress’s Rakibul Hussain, a five-time MLA from Samaguri, claimed victory in Dhubri.
For the November 13 by-polls, the BJP will contest three constituencies—Behali, Dholai, and Samaguri. Its allies, Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) and United People’s Party Liberal (UPPL) will field candidates in Bongaigaon and Sidli, respectively.