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Lok Sabha elections 2024: Dibrugarh sees a voter turnout of 71%, second highest in Assam
KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)
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Summary
According to news agency PTI, the constituency saw a voter turnout of 70.65% till 5 pm.
The Dibrugarh Lok Sabha constituency in Assam is gearing up for a fiercely contested election among three prominent candidates — Sarbananda Sonowal, Lurinjyoti Gogoi, and Manoj Dhanowar — as it goes to poll today.
According to news agency PTI, the constituency saw a voter turnout of 70.65% till 5 pm. The turnout number was the second highest in the state, with Jorhat recording 76.20% voters turning up. Sonitpur (69.84), Kaziranga (68.90) and Lakhimpur (68.34) followed cloesly.
A total of 70.77% of over 86.47 lakh voters in all five Lok Sabha seats in Assam exercised their franchise till 5 pm on Friday
While the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is confident in its candidate Sonowal’s victory, opposition-backed Lurinjyoti Gogoi is proving to be a formidable opponent. Adding to the mix is the presence of Manoj Dhanowar from the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), ensuring a close race.
Dibrugarh holds significant economic importance within Assam, boasting the highest concentration of tea gardens, alongside key industries such as oil, gas, fertilizers, petrochemicals, and coal fields.
With a diverse demographic makeup comprising various ethnicities and religious groups, including Assamese, tea tribes, Bengalis, Muslims, Christians, and Buddhists, the constituency’s electorate exceeds 16.50 lakhs, with women slightly outnumbering men across its ten assembly segments.
AAP’s Manoj Dhanowar, hailing from a political family background, aims to leverage support from the tea community, a significant portion of the electorate that has historically influenced elections. Traditionally loyal to the Congress until 2014, this demographic shifted allegiance to the BJP with the emergence of Rameswar Teli, the incumbent MP and Union Minister.
Apart from its economic significance, Dibrugarh also stands out as an educational hub, hosting a university, a medical college, and numerous other educational institutions, boasting a literacy rate exceeding 75%.
The candidates themselves bring diverse qualifications to the table, with Sarbananda Sonowal holding degrees in law and journalism, Lurinjyoti Gogoi a post-graduate in mathematics, and Manoj Dhanowar an engineer by profession.
Historically, Dibrugarh was a stronghold of the Congress party until 2004, when Sarbananda Sonowal made history by winning the seat as an Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) candidate. However, he faced defeat in 2009 against Congress stalwart Paban Singh Ghatowar. The BJP’s Rameswar Teli, a minister in the outgoing cabinet, secured victory in the 2014 and 2019 elections but has now been replaced by Sarbananda Sonowal in the upcoming polls, intensifying the electoral battle in this crucial constituency.
Apart from three candidates from Dibrugarh, Kaziranga has the highest number of 11 candidates, followed by nine in Lakhimpur, eight in Sonitpur and four in Jorhat.
The 2024 general elections will be held in seven phases starting on April 19 and concluding on June 1. In Assam, voting will be held in three phases on April 19, April 26 and May 7. During the 2019 elections, the state registered a healthy voter turnout of 81.60%. The counting of votes will be done on June 4.
The counting of votes will take place on June 4.
(With agency inputs)
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