Second phase rural polls in 10 Assam districts on Dec 9

GUWAHATI: The fate of 35,056 candidates will be decided in the second and final phase of the Assam panchayat elections which will be held in 9428 polling centres across 10 administrative districts of the state on Sunday.

According to the state election commission, 64, 21, 518 voters have been listed to cast their votes from 7am to 3pm.

The 10 districts going to the polls on Sunday are Nalbari, Barpeta, Bongaigaon, Dhubri, South Salmara-Mankachar, Goalpara, Hojai, Cachar, Hailakandi and Karimganj. Security forces are taking extra caution after some “untoward” incidents were reported in the first phase polls.

It may be mentioned that most of the districts going to polls on Sunday share borders with Bangladesh.

The commission informed that all arrangements, including security, were in place for the polls with 4481polling stations are marked comparatively safe, 3081 sensitive and 1866 polling stations very sensitive.

The campaign for the second phase of panchayat polls came to an end at 3 pm on Friday even as there has been a hue and cry among circles about some party leaders using helicopters to cover more areas for electioneering.

Political analysts have interpreted the “unprecedented high scale of campaign in a rural poll” as a move by parties to strengthen their base at the grassroots levels with an eye on the Lok Sabha elections as well.

The run-up to the panchayat polls have seen “strained relations” between ruling BJP and ally AGP over the latter’s opposition to the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill 2016, with the two parties deciding to contest the polls alone and thereafter not leaving stones unturned to take potshots at each other.

Counting of votes for both phases will take place on December 12.

It may be mentioned that state election commission has ordered fresh polls in 42 centres where elections were held during the first phase on December 5. As many as 27 of the centres where repolling has been ordered, are located in Lakhimpur district.

Polls were held in 16 administrative districts of the