Over one crore people on Monday sealed the fates of 525 candidates during the second and last phase of polling in Assam on Monday, which recorded over 82 percent polling in 61 constituencies, even as the polling was marked by stray incidents of violence, leading to death of one person and injury of some others.
The polling for the second phase started on a high note with people from different walks of life coming out in large numbers and forming queues before their respective polling station since early morning. The polling was held across 12,999 polling stations under the 61 constituencies.
“We have recorded 81 percent of polling till 5 pm. However, the polling percentage is likely to increase till 85 percent as we are still receiving reports from some of the polling stations,” said Additional CEO, Assam Nitin Khade.
Khade admitted about the incidents of violence and said that the CRPF personnel deployed at a polling station under Barpeta road police station resorted to lathi charge to control a mob leading to injury of several persons. “One of the injured later died in the hospital. We are waiting for a detailed report from the Deputy Commissioner, Barpeta in this regard,” Khade said.
He said that a total of 191 EVMs have been replaced in different places due to technical problems.
Similar incidents also took place at some other place including one at a polling station at Nagarbera under Boko constituency where the security personnel had to resort to blank firing to control a situation. No one was, however, injured during the incident.
Former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh also cast his vote at the polling station at Dispur Government High School. “I think the people of Assam will reward the Congress for the good work it had done for the state in last 15 years,” Singh told to waiting journalists after casting his vote.
Singh’s wife, Gurcharan Kaur, however, did not vote on Monday.
Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi on Monday organised a Press conference at a hotel in Guwahati, which drew the ire of the Election Commission for violation of model code of conduct. The Commission later urged the news channels and print media not to re-telecast the Press conference.
Gogoi said that large voters’ turnout in the Assembly Election in Assam is a good sign of democracy and added that the large scale participation is an indicative of the people’s interests for shaping their own destiny, which is one of the tenets of healthy democracy.
Gogoi also attributed the large turnout to a sound and changed academic atmosphere and development of education scenario in the State during the last 15 years.
Meanwhile, the Assam BJP slammed the Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi for organising a Press conference on Monday violating the instruction of the Election Commission of India.
“At a time when the Chief Minister should have become a role model for the people for maintaining discipline and following the model code of conduct, the Chief Minister openly violated the model code of conduct by organising the Press conference,” said Assam BJP president Sarbananda Sonowal.
Sonowal thanked the people of Assam for coming out in large number to vote and said that the people of Assam have voted for a change and the people’s participation in such huge numbers is a testimony to that.
It may be mentioned here that there are 525 candidates including 48 women in the fray in the second phase of polls in Assam. The polling was held across 12,999 polling stations. The first phase of polls were held in Assam for 65 constituencies on April 4 and it recorded 83.20 percent of polling.
The counting of votes for the total of 126 constituencies in Assam will be held on May 19.