Polls to five assemblies begins with Assam
Elections to five assemblies kicked off on Monday with the first phase being held in Assam where voting began at 7 a.m. No untoward incidents were reported, officials said.
Twelve percent votes were cast in the first two hours of polling. Voting began at 7 a.m. in 62 assembly constituencies of the total 126 assembly seats.
"Around 12 percent votes have been cast in the first two hours. It has been largely peaceful," an election official said.
People in large numbers queued up before polling booths well before the scheduled time.
"We expect free and fair polling with adequate security arrangements being made," the official said.
Voting is to continue till 3 p.m. in about 11,000 polling stations in 13 districts..
An estimated 485 candidates are in the fray for the first phase vote; of these, 38 are women candidates.
The Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) have fielded 62 candidates each for the first phase, while the Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) has put up 51 nominees. There are 157 independent candidates in the fray for the first phase.
The second phase of voting on April 11 in 64 seats would decide the fate of 496 candidates. Results are due May 13.
Over 30,000 police and paramilitary troopers are deployed for the first phase with authorities not taking any chances despite a general lull in the insurgency front.
Among the prominent candidates whose fate would be sealed in the first phase vote include Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi, Power Minister Pradyut Bordoloi, BJP state president Ranjit Dutta, and senior Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) leader Brindaban Goswami.
The multi-phased elections in Assam, West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Puducherry end May 10 in West Bengal. This is the first major electoral exercise since the 2009 general elections.
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