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Assam records 70% voting in final phase
Bijay Sankar Bora/TNS

Guwahati, April 11
Over 70 per cent registered voters cast their votes in the second and final phase of Assembly elections in the state today. The polling, in 64 constituencies spread over 14 districts, went off peacefully, barring a few stray incidents of violence. In all, 340 companies of paramilitary personnel were deployed on election duty.

The most high-profile voter in the state, Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh who is a Rajya Sabha member from Assam, could not turn up to cast his vote in the Dispur constituency.

The CEO’s office said though 70.35 % turnout had been recorded at 3 pm (closing time for the voting), the final figure would go up as a large number of persons were still queued up inside polling stations even at 5 pm.

There were 496 candidates, including 47 women, in the fray in the second phase of polling. Among the most prominent candidates whose fate was sealed today included former Chief Minister and AGP leader Prafulla Kumar Mahanta, AGP president Chandra Mohan Patowari, and nine ministers of the Tarun Gogoi government, including Health Minister Dr Himanta Biswa Sarma, Forest Minister Rockybul Hussain, Revenue Minister Dr Bhumidhar Barman and Agriculture Minister Pramila Rani Brahma, Transport Minister Chandan Brahma.

AGP stalwart Mahanta is contesting from two constituencies - Barhampur and Samaguri. He is pitted against Forest Minister Rockybul Hussain (Congress) at Samaguri. Health Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, arguably the most influential minister in the Gogoi’s government, is defending his Jalukbari constituency against Prodyut Kumar Bora, BJP national IT cell convener and an ex-student of the IIM-Ahmadabad.

Meanwhile, at least 22 persons were injured when the security forces resorted to lathicharge and later fired in the air to disperse a rampaging mob that torched a police vehicle in the Rangiya constituency in Kamrup district. There were also some reports of stray violence in Mazbat, Sipajhar, Dhubri, Jagiroad and Samaguri constituencies.

At the Mazbat constituency in Udalaguri district, a police personnel allegedly touched a woman voter while trying to maintain the queue, triggering protests by the people. The police personnel apologised to the woman. In Dhubri district, a CRPF man, coming here on leave to vote, was beaten up by his colleagues who accused him of taking photos inside the polling station with his phone.

2nd phase stats

64 constituencies

496 candidates

47 women candidates

22 hurt in lathicharge