264 candidates in fray for 47 seats
Sonowal, Ripun, Akhil, Atul Bora, Lurinjyoti among contestants
Staff Reporter
GUWAHATI, March 25: Campaigning for the first phase of polls for the forthcoming elections to the Assam Legislative Assembly ended today.
A total of 47 Legislative Assembly Constituencies (LAC) will go to the polls on the first phase on March 27.
As many as 81, 09,815 electors, among whom are 40, 77,210 male electors, 40, 32,481 female voters, and 124 third gender electors, will decide the fate of 264 candidates in the first phase of Assam Assembly polls.
Of the total candidates, 241 are male and 23 are female.
Some of the key candidates who are in fray in the first phase of the Assembly elections are Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal (Majuli constituency), Assam Legislative Assembly Speaker Hitendra Nath Goswami (Jorhat), former Minister and BJP leader Ajanta Neog (Golaghat), Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) president and Agriculture Minister Atul Bora (Bokakhat), AGP working president and Water Resources Minister Keshab Mahanta (Kaliabor), Assam Pradesh Congress Committee (APCC) president Ripun Bora (Gohpur), Leader of the Congress Legislature Party (CLP) Debabrata Saikia (Nazira), former Minister and Deputy Leader of CLP Rakibul Hussain (Samaguri), president of Assam Jatiya Parishad (AJP) Lurinjyoti Gogoi (contesting from two constituencies, Duliajan and Naharkatia), AJP general secretary and former Minister Jagadish Bhuyan (Sadiya), All India Congress Committee (AICC) secretary Bhupen Borah (Bihpuria), and Raijor Dal chief Akhil Gogoi, who is in fray as an Independent candidate from Sibsagar.
The oldest candidate is Premadhar Bora (85 years), who is contesting as an Independent from Bihpuria.
There are nine candidates who are in the list of youngest and each is aged 25 years.
The 47 constituencies going to the polls in the first phase are spread across the districts of Sonitpur, Biswanath, Nagaon (part), Golaghat, Jorhat, Majuli, Sivasagar, Charaideo, Lakhimpur, Dhemaji, Dibrugarh and Tinsukia.
In the first phase, the voters will be able to exercise their franchise in 11,537 polling stations, of which 1,917 are auxiliary polling stations. There are 479 all women polling stations.
The number of polling personnel involved in the entire poll process has been put at 1,67,650. Among the constituencies going to the polls in the first phase Jonai LAC has the highest number of electors (3,11,660), while Thowra LAC constituency has the lowest number of voters (1,15,364).
Among the major parties, the BJP has fielded candidates in 39 of the seats of Phase I, while the Congress is in fray in 43 seats. The AGP is contesting from 10 seats and the AIUDF from one constituency.
Speaking to the media today, Chief Electoral Officer, Assam, Nitin Khade said that web casting will be done in 50 per cent of the polling stations to ensure smooth conduct of the election process.
The second and the third phases of elections will be held on April 1 and April 6, respectively.
Among all the 126 LACs of the State, the Dispur constituency, with 4, 11,636 voters have the highest number of voters, while Thowra (1, 15,364) has the lowest.
Khade said that so far 1,014 complaints of Model Code of Conduct violations have been received of which 700 were found to be correct, examined and disposed.
As far as seizures are concerned, cash worth over Rs 21 crore has been seized. Similarly, liquor worth over Rs 24 crore and drugs and narcotics valued at over Rs 31 crore too have been seized
