Polling began at 7 a.m. except a few polling booths in some areas of Kaliabor and Tezpur due to technical snags in the voting machines (EVMs), said election officials.
Over 6 million people are expected to exercise their franchise in 8,588 polling booths. More than 38,000 poll officials will conduct the first phase of voting. Elections will be held in nine phases across the nation, May 12 being the last date.
Tezpur, Jorhat, Kaliabor, Dibrugarh and Lakhimpur constituencies go to votes on Monday. A total of 51 candidates are in the race including lottery baron Mani Kumar Subba (independent) from Tezpur, Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi’s son Gourav Gogoi in Kaliabor, Congress leader Bijoy Krishna Handique and veteran Communist leader Drupad Borgohain in Jorhat.
BJP state chief Sarbananda Sonowal and union Minister of State for Tribal Affairs Ranee Narah are also contesting in Lakhimpur as union Minister Paban Singh Ghatowar (Congress) and Rameswar Teli of the BJP and AGP’s Anoop Phukan are trying their luck at Dibrugarh.
Jorhat has 10 candidates in the race with nine for Tezpur, 13 each in Kaliabor and Lakhimpur, and six in Dibrugarh.
