One reserved unused Electronic Voting Machine (EVM) was found inside a trunk at a counting centre in Assam s Hailakandi on Saturday evening, a day before the counting of polls are scheduled to begin. As per a statement, District Election Officer Megh Nidhi Dahal along with returning officers rushed to the spot where the EVM was detected and made an inquiry into it. The contesting candidates also reached the spot. On being investigated, it was found that the unused EVM inside a trunk that found its way inadvertently to the counting venue was a reserved one and there were no votes polled therein, the statement said, adding that it was open before the contesting candidates, who were satisfied with the results.
Himanta Biswa Sarma has risen in prominence in BJP since he joined the party in 2015 and has played a key role in the party s growing footprint in Assam as also other states of northeast. He has played a stellar role in the success of BJP-led National Democratic Alliance in the assembly polls in Assam with the alliance returning to power overcoming the stiff challenge posed by the Congress-led alliance. He was a key campaigner of the party and strongly articulated its position on various issues at play in Assam which has a diverse population with sometimes competing interests. During the campaign, he took repeated digs at Congress for its alliance with AIUDF. Sarma won from Jalukbari, a seat he has won four times earlier.