GUWAHATI: Over 9 lakh voters are set to cast their vote in the upcoming bye-polls for five Assam assembly constituencies on November 13, according to Chief Electoral Officer Anurag Goel. The constituencies—Dholai (SC), Samaguri, Behali, Bongaigaon, and Sidli (ST)—require bye-elections after their MLAs were elected to the Lok Sabha earlier this year.
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Out of a total electorate of 910,665, women account for 455,924, while there are 454,722 male voters. The five constituencies will have 1,078 polling stations in total, with Sidli (ST) boasting the highest number of booths at 273, and Behali the lowest at 154.
Goel highlighted that there are 4,389 voters with physical disabilities, while 3,788 voters are above 85 years of age. He also confirmed that the model code of conduct is now in effect for the districts where the bye-polls will take place.
The process for conducting the elections is well underway, with sufficient Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) available. The first randomisation of EVMs will take place on October 19, followed by a second round on November 1, which will involve representatives from political parties. Final commissioning of the EVMs is scheduled for November 4.
Voting on November 13 will be held from 7 am to 5 pm, with provisions in place to ensure that voters already inside polling stations by 5 pm can still cast their votes. The counting of votes will begin on November 23, starting with postal ballots.
The bye-polls will be conducted under pre-delimitation constituency boundaries. Although the poll notification was issued on Friday, no nominations were filed on the first day. The deadline for filing nominations is October 25, with scrutiny on October 28, and the last date for withdrawal of nominations is October 30.
