Assam elections: First phase of polls on Monday, 539 candidates in fray for 65 constituencies

GUWAHATI: The fate of around 539 candidates who are in the fray for the first phase of polls on April 4 will be decided by 95 lakh voters. Around 535 companies of security personnel are deployed for the first phase.

This is most crucial phase for ruling Congress and BJP. Congress is contesting all the 65 constituencies while BJP is contesting 52 in the first phase. BJP altogether is contesting 88 seats in the two phases.

There are altogether 187 candidates from recognized political parties in the first phase which include 9 from NCP, CPI (10), CMP (10), Asom Gana Parishad( AGP) (11), All India United Democratic Front (AIUDF) (27) and Bodoland Peoples Front (3).

Around 95, 11,732 electorate which include 49, 16015 male and 45, 95, 712 female will exercise franchise across 12190 polling stations. There are around 3739 sensitive polling stations, around 1992 polling stations are identified are hypersensitive besides 1241 polling booths are marked as critical.

Assam’s Chief Electoral Officer Vijendra said that in critical polling stations there will be micro observers. "Critical polling stations are identified as those where during last election there was 90 percent polling and out of which one candidate cornered 70 percent votes. There is provision for webcasting and videography on those stations."

He added that there are around 999 booths which are shadow polling stations, which means there is no connectively available there and has to be connected by wireless of Assam police radio organization. "For first phase around 12,190 polling personnel are pressed into the services, there are polling stations where polling personnel have to reach walking. We have used 2370 heavy vehicles, 144 boats and 35 bullock carts to reach out the polling stations."

This phase will decide the political fate of chief minister Tarun Gogoi from Titabor constituency, BJP’s chief minister, Sarbananda Sonowal, former Union Minister and prominent tea tribe leader Paban Singh Ghatowar.