Polling was held in 65 of the 126 constituencies.Access to polling stations was barred at 4 pm, but the voters who had entered earlier were allowed to cast their votes, the election office said.
Though rain kept the electorate away during the first half of the day, women and youths particularly came out later in large numbers to participate in the democratic process that will decide the fate of Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi among others.
Unlike the earlier poll, which had been marred by militant violence despite a voter turnout of over 75 per cent, Assam this time was peaceful with people coming out to vote without fear.
The banned ULFA and NDFB decided to keep away from the elections. ULFA chairman Arabinda Rajkhowa has instead asked the people to vote for the party which raises the issue of Assam’s “sovereignty”.
ULFA “commander-in-chief” Paresh Barua’s octogenarian mother Miliki Barua also cast her vote.
The absence of its most celebrated voters — Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and his wife Gursharan Kaur — from polling station number 155 under the Dispur constituency here, where they were listed in the voters’ list, evoked mixed reactions from voters.
Some claimed that Dr Manmohan Singh being the Prime Minister, was “setting a bad example by not voting” while others were sympathetic to him stating he was away possibly due to his busy schedule.
— PTI
