75% turnout in 3 Assam districts

SILCHAR/ AGARTALA/ GUWAHATI/GANGTOK: Despite the heat and humidity, voters turned up in large numbers on Saturday to vote in the third phase of Lok Sabha election in Assam and Tripura.
About 75% turnout was recorded in Assam’s three seats while Tripura’s East Tripura seat witnessed over 83% polling. Election Commission officials said polling began at 7 am and was largely peaceful.
Altogether 49 candidates are in the fray in the four seats of Karimganj (SC), Silchar, the Autonomous District (ST), and East Tripura (ST).Elaborate security arrangements were made.
Apart from an EVM being vandalized at a polling station in Lakhipur and polls being boycotted in some booths, polling was by and large violence free. Miscreants vandalized the EVM at the Jagai Mathura ME School polling station at Lakhipur in Silchar. Authorities cancelled the voting there.
Voting was halted at Balighat LP School polling station in Silchar because an EVM developed technical snag. In Karimganj, polling was stopped in Badarpur Deorail Madarsa, Nikirkona, Rakesh Nagar ME School and Bhanga ME School also because of EVMs developing faults.
Voters in some booths in Silchar--- Sonai, Udharband, Borkhola, and Dholai---- boycotted the election to protest non-fulfillment of their problems. Not a single vote was cast in these booths.
The polling percentage in three constituencies of Karimaganj, Silchar and the Autonomous District in Assam set a new record with an average of 75%, way above the past average of 69.70%. Assam additional chief electoral officer R C Jain said the final figure would be higher as reports from remote centres were yet to come in.
According to EC’s preliminary inputs, Karimganj polled 75%, Silchar 76 and the Autonomous District 73. In the 2009 election, the polling percentage in Karimganj was 64.37%, 70.60% in Silchar and 67.86% in the Autonomous District.
There were reports of malfunctioning of a few EVMs. These polling stations may go for repoll. “This is a high polling percentage, much higher than the past record of 69.70% and we believe that like in the first phase the electors photo identity card (EPIC) used here for the first time is the primary reason for the high turnout,” Jain told TOI.
The poling percentage in the five constituencies in upper Assam that went to polls in the first phase on April 7 was 78.72%, which was also a record.
Tripura CEO Ashutosh Jindal said with Saturday’s 83% turnout, the state’s total percentage touched 84.5%, the same as 2009. He, however, felt the final voting percentage might increase after counting postal ballots and compiling the assembly segment reports.
“Polling was higher in rural areas compared to urban areas. But Tripura retained its tradition of high turnout,” Jindal stated.
Polling began at 7 am across 1,490 polling booths and voting in almost 80% booths was completed by 5 pm. The entire length of the Indo-Bangla border was sealed since Thursday as a precautionary measure. Security forces were deployed along the border with Mizoram.
Sikkim recorded 76% polling for the lone Lok Sabha and 32 assembly seats on Saturday.
Till 3pm, nearly 70% voting was completed, said additional secretary, state election department, Anil Raj Rai. Long queues were seen at most of the 538 polling stations. In 2009, 83.76% voters in the Himalayan state cast their ballot in the simultaneous Lok Sabha and assembly polls.