10.12% turnout recorded in four Lok Sabha seats in Assam till 9 am

Guwahati: Around 10.12 per cent of 81.49 lakh voters exercised their franchise in the first two hours of polling in four Lok Sabha constituencies in Assam on Tuesday, an election official said.

Dhubri recorded the highest polling percentage of 10.75, followed by Guwahati (10.38), Kokrajhar (9.77) and Barpeta (9.26) till 9 am.

Sparse queues were seen in front of the 9,516 polling stations in the early hours of voting, owing to heavy rain on Monday night, but voting is expected to pick up as the day progresses, he said.

Polling began at 7 am and will continue till 5 pm.

A total 81,49,091 voters, including 41,00,544 men, 40,48,436 women and 111 of the third gender, are eligible to exercise their franchise to decide the electoral fate of 47 candidates in the third and final phase of polling in Assam.

The two women candidates of Guwahati seat -- Bijuli Kalita Medhi of the BJP and Mira Borthakur Goswami of the Congress -- Guwahati's sitting BJP MP Queen Oja and Kokrajhar's Congress candidate Garjen Mushahary were among those who exercised their franchise in the early hours of voting.

Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma is scheduled to cast his vote later in the day at Amingaon in Barpeta Lok Sabha seat.

Dhubri has the highest electorate of 26,63,987, while Kokrajhar has the lowest of 14,94,404 voters in this phase.