First Phase of Lok Sabha Polls Commences Across India, Focus on Assam’s Key Battles

The first phase of Lok Sabha Elections kicked off on April 19, with 102 constituencies spanning 21 states and union territories heading to the polls. In Assam, five constituencies, including Kaziranga, Lakhimpur, Jorhat, Sonitpur, and Dibrugarh, are in the spotlight. Key contests include BJP’s Kamakhya Prasad Tasa vs. Roselina Tirkey of Congress in Kaziranga and Sarbananda Sonowal’s battle against AJP’s Lurinjyoti Gogoi and AAP’s Manoj Dhanowar in a three-way race. Other notable matchups feature Gaurav Gogoi vs. Topon Kumar Gogoi in Jorhat and Ranjit Dutta vs. Premlal Ganju in Sonitpur. The conclusion of campaigning marked the final push for political parties, with memories of the 2019 General elections, where Congress-led UPA secured 45 seats against BJP-led NDA’s 41, still fresh. Simultaneously, Assembly elections in Arunachal Pradesh and Sikkim add to the electoral buzz, with BJP uncontested in 10 seats in Arunachal Pradesh and 147 candidates, including 12 women, vying for 32 Assembly seats in Sikkim.