Guwahati (Assam) [India], May 3 (ANI): The Sivasagar district administration has completed all necessary preparations for the upcoming vote counting across three key Legislative Assembly constituencies, namely 95-Demow, 96-Sivasagar, and 97-Nazira. To ensure the process remains transparent and seamless, a total of 391 officials have been deployed to oversee the proceedings.

Leading the district in participation, 97-Nazira recorded the highest turnout at 85.57%, with approximately 1,56,504 out of 1,82,885 total voters casting their ballots. In 95-Demow, 83.30% of the 1,78,953 eligible voters exercised their franchise, resulting in a total of about 1,48,068 votes. Meanwhile, 96-Sivasagar, which features the district's largest electorate of 2,10,484 voters, saw a turnout of 82.36% with approximately 1,73,353 citizens participating in the democratic process.

To facilitate the counting of Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs), 14 dedicated tables have been set up at the counting centres, with the duration of the process expected to vary by constituency.

In accordance with election protocols, officials will prioritise the counting of postal ballots, for which specific arrangements have been made across the district.

Sivasagar has been assigned 6 tables to process its 2,168 received postal ballots, while Demow and Nazira have each been allotted 4 tables to handle their respective counts of 1,226 and 1,027 ballots. With a total of 391 officials and staff deployed for the task, the district is prepared for a high-stakes counting day that will determine the political future of these three constituencies.

On the other hand, Congress and its allies in Assam have expressed confidence of victory in the Assam polls and said they will remain vigilant on the counting day on Monday.

The leaders of six parties who contested the polls together held a meeting on Saturday.

Assam went to the polls in the first phase of the election on April 9. The BJP-led alliance is looking for a third straight victory in the polls in a state which has traditionally been a Congress bastion.

Congress stitched a six-party alliance to prevent a split in the anti-BJP vote and present a united face in front of the people in the northeastern state. The state has 126 assembly seats.

Exit polls projected that the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) is poised to retain power for a third successive term. Axis My India projected that the BJP-led NDA would secure 88 to 100 of 126 seats and the Congress-led alliance 24 to 36 seats.

JVC predicted 88-101 seats for the NDA and 23-33 seats for the Congress-led alliance. It gave 0-2 seats to AIUDF and three to others. Matrize projected 85-95 seats for the BJP-led alliance, 25-32 for the Congress-led alliance, and 6-12 seats for others. (ANI)