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Kokrajhar admn gears up for smooth polls

By Correspondent

KOKRAJHAR, March 29 � Thaneswar Malakar, Deputy Commissioner of Kokrajhar, who is also the District Returning Officer, at a press conference organised at the DC�s Conference Hall here on Saturday evening announced that various steps have been taken by the district administration for the smooth conduct of the 3rd BTC elections to be held on April 8 next.

Addressing the mediapersons, Malakar informed that various election cells have been set up to look after the whole electioneering process. He further informed that the total number of voters in 12 BTC constituencies in Kokrajhar district is 5,85,971 out of which 2,95,628 are male and 2,90,343 are female voters.

Of the total number of polling stations, 160 have been identified as comparatively safe, 396 as sensitive and 198 as very sensitive. Fifty one polling stations have been identified as critical polling stations.

Announcing the poll preparedness of the district, the Deputy Commissioner-cum-Returning Officer Thaneswar Malakar appealed to the administrative officials and the contesting candidates to follow the model code of conduct.

Attending the press meet, Additional Superintendent of Police, Kokrajhar, SS Panesar informed that elaborate security arrangements have been made to hold free and fair polls in the district.

He said that presently the district have 41 companies of security forces apart from Army and SSB personnel. Demands have already been placed to send additional police and paramilitary forces in the district before the polls. The ASP also informed that a list of antisocial elements has been already prepared and they will be taken under custody soon.

He also said that preventive arrests, drive against illicit liquor, unlicensed arms have already been initiated in the district.

He also informed that for the convenience of functioning, the Kokrajhar district has been divided into 28 different zones which have been further subdivided into 99 sectors again. Round-the-clock vigil along the border areas, including the inter-State and Indo-Bhutan International border, has been intensified and added that Army units are also deployed in the vulnerable localities.

Meanwhile, Biswa Kumar Brahma and Dilip Kumar Brahma both independent candidates for the Parbatjhora BTC constituency has withdrawn their nomination papers along with Prasanta Basumatary an independent candidate for the Dotma BTC constituency and Putul Das an independent candidate for the Baukhungri BTC constituency on Saturday.

All total �88 candidates are in the fray of which five are female and 83 are male candidates in the 12 BTC constituencies in Kokrajhar district.

The nomination papers of Manoj Kr Sarania, Kailash Das and Rina Das as independent candidate, were rejected earlier.

It may be mentioned here that out of 88 contesting candidates in Kokrajhar district 12 are from BPF, 12 from BJP, 12 from Congress, 1 from AGP, 4 from AUIDF and the rest are independent candidates.

Further, the symbols for the contesting independent candidates were allotted as per their choice, informs the Returning Officer.

However, stray incidents of pre-poll violence were reported from several parts of Kokrajhar district. According to sources, on Friday night unidentified miscreants suspected to be political rivalry of the BPF party set on fire the temporary election booth offices located at Belguri and Anthaibari under Serfanguri Police Station in Kokrajhar district.

On the other hand unidentified miscreants also ransacked a BJP�s temporary election booth office at Halongbazar under Kokrajhar Police Station. Police soon rushed to the spot.

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