GUWAHATI, April 20 - The turnout among voters belonging to the third gender was very low in the five Lok Sabha constituencies of the State which went to the polls in the second phase on April 18.
Only five out of the total 180 electors who are registered as belonging to the third gender in the five constituencies exercised their franchise.
Interestingly, not even a single elector from the third gender cast their vote in as many as three out of the five Lok Sabha constituencies of Phase 2.
As against an average overall turnout of 81.20 per cent in the five constituencies, the polling percentage recorded for the third gender electorate stood at less than 2.8 per cent.
Of the 18 third gender electors in Karimganj constituency, not even a single one voted.
In Silchar constituency, only two (or 2.67 per cent) out of the 75 registered third gender electorate cast their votes.
None of the total six electors belonging to the third gender cast their vote in autonomous district (Diphu) constituency.
Similarly, none of the 32 third gender electors in Mangaldai constituency voted in the Lok Sabha election.
In Nagaon constituency, only three (or 6.12 per cent) out of the 49 registered third gender electors voted in the election.
The low turnout among the third gender electors was also noticed during the first phase of the Lok Sabha polls in Assam. In the five Phase One constituencies, where polling had been held on April 11, only 11 out of the total 154 third gender electors had exercised their franchise and the turnout among such voters was only 7.14 per cent.
