Ahead of the second phase of voting for the ongoing Lok Sabha general elections, the sale of alcohol has been prohibited in those constituencies of Assam where polling will be held on April 26.

The State Election Commission, Assam declared a dry day in Darrang-Udalguri, Diphu, Karimganj, Silchar, and Nagaon Lok Sabha seats for which polling will be done this Friday.

According to reports, the restriction on sale of alcohol in these constituencies will be enforced from 5 pm of April 24 and will be in place till the end of polling in the evening of April 26.

Meanwhile, the state polling body has also announced a dry day on June 4 when counting of votes will take place marking the culmination of Lok Sabha elections.

This is the first elections in Assam post the recent delimitation exercise, with significant changes in electoral boundaries. The BJP, aiming to bolster its position, has set an ambitious target of clinching 12 out of 14 Lok Sabha seats, up from the nine won in 2019.

Key contenders are in the fray in the second phase of polling with Congress MP Pradyut Bordoloi facing off against BJP's Suresh Bora and AIUDF’s Aminul Islam in Nagaon. Meanwhile, BJP's Dilip Saikia will square up against Congress' Madhab Rajbongshi in Darrang-Udalguri. In Karimganj, BJP's Kripanath Mallah will contest against Congress' Hafez Ahmed Choudhury and AIUDF's Sahabul Islam Choudhury.

In Silchar (SC) Assam Excise Minister Parimal Suklabaidya of BJP will take on Congress youth leader Surjya Kanta Sarkar.

Assam witnessed a robust voter turnout of 75.95% in the first phase of polls covering Kaziranga, Jorhat, Dibrugarh, Sonitpur, and Lakhimpur constituencies.