17% voting in first two hours in Assam

Around 17% votes were cast in the first two hours of polling in six Lok Sabha seats in Assam in the third and final phase today amidst tight security.

Election office sources said 21% voting was recorded in Gauhati, 15% in Kokrajhar, 16% in Dhubri, 22% in Barpeta, 16% in Mangaldoi and 11% in Nowgong.

Malfunctioning of electronic voting machines were reported from several polling centres and voting resumed after the EVMs were replaced.

Security was tightened in all the six constituencies with 75 companies of security forces deployed particularly in Kokrajhar district, where the anti-talk NDFB(S) is active and sporadic incidents of pre-poll violence occurred. The vigil on international borders with Bangladesh and Bhutan in Dhubri, Barpeta and Mangaldoi constituencies was also tightened.

A total 94,21,977 voters, including 45,42,553 women, are expected to cast their vote in 11,994 polling stations, of which 920 have been declared hyper-sensitive and 1,658 sensitive.

Prominent candidates whose fate would be decided today are AIUDF president and sitting MP Badruddin Ajmal, Assam Tourism and Transport Minister Chandan Brahma, sitting BPF MP S K Bwiswmuthiary, former ULFA Commander Naba (Hira) Sarania, former Meghalaya Governor and NSG chief Ranjit Shekhar Mooshahary, who is contesting in a Trinamool Congress ticket.

Also in the fray are sitting Congress MP Ismail Hussain, BJP leader Chandra Mohan Patowary, AGP MLA Phani Bhushan Choudhury, sitting BJP MPs Ramen Deka, Rajen Gohain and Bijoya Chakravarty and AGP candidate Birendra Prasad Baishya.