Polling for first phase of LS elections in Assam on Monday

Guwahati: The battle lines have been drawn for the first phase of Lok Sabha polls in five seats in Assam Monday.
The Congress, BJP, Trinamool Congress, AIUDF, AGP, AAP, SUCI, CPI(M), AIFB and SP are contesting in the five seats in Tezpur, Koliabor, Jorhat, Dibrugarh and Lakhimpur in the Congress ruled state.
Among the 51 candidates, are union ministers Ranee Narah and Paban Singh Ghatowar, former union minister and sitting MLA Bijoy Krishna Handique, Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi’s son Gourav Gogoi and Bhupen Kumar Bora for the Congress.
Congress rebel and Independent candidate Moni Kumar Subba is also contesting.
For the BJP, its unit President Sorbananda Sonowal and Kamakhya Prasad Tasa are in the fray while AGP’s nominees are Arun Kumar Sarma, Pradip Hazarika, Joseph Toppo. An electorate of 64,41,634, including 31,20,067 women, will cast their vote in 8588 polling stations.
For the first time in the North East region and the third time in the country after Kashmir and Bihar, all polling booths have been declared smoking free.
Security measures have been tightened for the polls with additional companies of security forces deployed.
The next phase of the polls will be held on April 12 for three LS seats.
Around 3,000 polling stations declared critical in Assam
About 12 per cent of the 24,267 polling stations in Assam have been identified as ‘critical’, making it a challenge for the Election Commission to hold the three-phase elections in the state in a free and fair mode.
Assam Inspector General of Police (Law and Order) S N Singh told PTI that 3000 polling stations have been identified as critical as per the Election Commission’s guideline.
A polling station is identified ‘critical’ on the basis of its vulnerability to violence by insurgents or any other disturbing factor like rigging or threat to voters, affecting a free and fair election process, he said.
Official sources said in one of the most elaborate exercises in Assam over 235 companies of security forces from both the state and the Centre have been deployed.
The security agencies have identified many districts in the state as critical and have decided to increase presence of forces by one to eight companies in each district compared to the last election in 2009.
Over three lakh litres of liquor and Rs 60 lakh cash have been seized in Assam so far by different agencies, the sources said, adding security agencies have also issued over 4,000 non-bailable arrest warrants since the poll notification.
Assam will see three-phase polling starting with Monday when elections will be held in five constituencies. (PTI)