Guwahati: Preparations for the by-polls in five Assembly constituencies in Assam have picked up pace following the Election Commission of India’s (ECI) announcement last Tuesday. The ECI released the dates for by-polls in the state, along with other constituencies across the country.
Speaking at a media conference at Janata Bhawan on Friday, Assam Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Anurag Goel stated that the nomination process had begun, and the election department was gearing up to ensure free and fair by-polls on November 13, 2024.
“The last date for filing nominations is scheduled for October 25, 2024, and voting will take place across 1,078 polling stations in five constituencies—Dholai, Sidli, Bongaigaon, Behali, and Samaguri—on November 13, 2024, from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. People standing in voting queues at polling stations by 5 p.m. on the same day will still be able to cast their vote,” Goel informed.
Among the constituencies, Sidli (ST) Legislative Assembly Constituency (LAC) in Chirang and parts of Kokrajhar has the highest number of voters (217,236), while Behali LAC in Biswanath district has the lowest (132,579).
Dholai (SC) LAC in Cachar district has 197,642 registered general voters; Bongaigaon LAC in Bongaigaon district has 182,354 voters; and Samaguri LAC in Nagaon district has 180,854 general electors.
The ECI had announced the dates for by-polls in these five Assembly constituencies, along with 43 other Assembly constituencies and two Lok Sabha seats across India, on Tuesday.
With the Model Code of Conduct coming into effect following the ECI’s announcement, the election department has deployed nine flying squad teams (FST), along with static surveillance teams (SST) and video surveillance teams (VST), in the bypoll-bound districts to meet constituency-specific needs.
“Over 200% stock of Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) has been prepared for the polling stations in these five constituencies. The first randomisation of EVMs will take place on Saturday, followed by the second randomisation on November 1, 2024. The commissioning of EVMs will take place starting from November 4, 2024,” Goel explained.
In compliance with ECI guidelines, a state-level Media Certification and Monitoring Committee (MCMC), a joint CEO-level MCMC, and district-level MCMCs have been formed. Additionally, anti-defacement measures are being implemented in line with ECI protocols.
A total of 9,10,665 general voters, including 454,722 male voters, 455,924 female voters, and 19 third-gender voters, are set to cast their ballots in 1,078 polling stations across the five constituencies.
Voters must carry identification to establish their identity at polling stations. Acceptable photo identification documents include Aadhaar cards, MGNREGA job cards, passbooks with photos issued by banks or post offices, health insurance smart cards under the Ministry of Labour, driving licenses, PAN cards, smart cards issued under the National Population Register (NPR), Indian passports, pension documents with photos, service identity cards issued to employees of central/state governments, PSUs, public limited companies, official identity cards issued to MPs/MLAs/MLCs, and Unique Disability ID (UDID) cards issued under the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment.
The scrutiny of nominations is scheduled for October 28, 2024, and the last date for the withdrawal of candidatures is set for October 30, 2024.
The counting of votes in the five constituencies, along with others where by-polls will be held nationwide, will take place on November 23, 2024.
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