|
Second
phase polling underway in Assam
Monday April 11, 2011 09:38:49 AM,
IANS
|
|
Guwahati: Polling
for the second and final phase of elections in 64 of the 126
assembly seats in Assam began Monday at 7 a.m. and proceeded
peacefully with 14 percent turnout in the first two hours,
officials said.
In Assam's main city of Guwahati, thousands had lined up before
polling booths since morning.
"We expect the turnout to be very high as the weather is perfect
and the response so far from the voters has been very
encouraging," an election official said.
"So far, polling has been going on peacefully," he added.
Voting will continue till 3 p.m. in the 11,589 polling stations.
An estimated 9.7 million voters would decide the fate of 496
candidates in the fray.
"We are confident that people would vote for good governance,
stability, and peace," Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi said.
State Health Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, who is the Congress
candidate from Jalukbari seat in Guwahati, said: "I am happy at
the very encouraging turnout with people in large numbers coming
out to vote."
The opposition too was optimistic that the elections would help
bring in change.
"People of Assam are looking for a change," Chandra Mohan Patowary,
president of Assam's main opposition Asom Gana Parishad (AGP),
said after casting his vote.
The first phase April 11 sealed the fate of 485 candidates with an
estimated 73 percent polling recorded in 62 assembly seats.
The results will be declared May 13.
Over 40,000 police and paramilitary troopers were deployed in
various places, with authorities not taking any chance despite a
general lull on the insurgency front.
Among the prominent candidates whose fate would be sealed in
Monday's vote are AGP president Chandra Mohan Patowary, two time
former chief minister and AGP senior Prafulla Kumar Mahanta,
Congress ministers Himanta Biswa Sarma and Rockybul Hussain,
besides at least 41 women candidates.
The multi-phased elections in Assam, West Bengal, Tamil Nadu,
Kerala and Puducherry end May 10. This is the first major
electoral exercise since the 2009 Lok Sabha elections.
|
|
Home |
Top of the Page |
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 Top
Stories |
|
'Lokpal
bill should instil responsibility, not terror'
Former
West Bengal governor Gopalkrishna Gandhi said that the proposed
Lokpal Bill should aim to instil responsibility rather than foster
terror. "The bill that will hopefully emerge from the labours of
the
»
Netizens
joyful, sceptical after Anna breaks fast
Hope,
scepticism among people over Lokpal Bill |
|
|
|
Most
Read |
|
 The Anna
Hazare Show: The comic revolution of an obsolete man
If you happen to watch television news
or read the newspapers, you may feel that the nation is on the brink
of a
»
At the
Risk of Heresy: Why I am not Celebrating with Anna Hazare |
|
Arab
League to ask UN to impose no-fly zone over Gaza
The Arab
League (AL) has said it will ask the UN to consider imposing a
no-fly zone over the Gaza Strip to protect the civilians from
Israeli air strikes, Xinhua reported. Gaza strip lies on the
Eastern coast of the Mediterranean Sea and borders Egypt on the
southwest and Israel on the south, east and
» |
|
|
|
News Pick |
|
 Syria
tense after deadly clashes
In Syria, days of protests and
violence in the city of Daraa has forced many schools and
government buildings to close.
"Daraa is 80 per cent paralysed today, the children
» |
|
4.85 lakh
students appear for IIT entrance exam
Around
4.85 lakh students appeared for the joint entrance examination of
the prestigious Indian Institutes of Technology (IIT-JEE) Sunday
for 9,600 seats in 15
»
More
literacy, but improve education quality too: Experts |
|
China
snubs report on human rights, tells US to stop prying
China has urged the US to stop interfering in its internal affairs
under the pretext of human rights issues. The comment came after
the US criticised China in its latest report on the status of
human rights around the world.
» |
|
Hundreds
of protesters injured in Yemen, Al Jazeera TV's Sana'a office sealed
Hundreds of protesters were wounded in police action in Yemen's
capital while demanding an immediate end to President Ali Abdullah
Saleh rule, Xinhua reported Sunday. They
» |
|
Kashmir
militancy down, militants can join talks: Pillai
The
largest Kashmiri guerrilla group, the Hizbul Mujahideen, has been
"almost" vanquished now and if the militant leadership based in
Pakistani Kashmir
»
Pakistan's reciprocity helped peace moves: Pillai |
|
|
|
Picture of the Day |
|
 |
|
Farooq
Naikwadi, a counselor for Civil Services exams, addressing a
workshop on the topic at Abdullah Ash Shae Auditorium,
Mansoora in Malegaon April 09, 2011
(Photo:
ummid.com) |
|
|
|
|
Comments
|
Quick links