The first phase of polling for 62 Assembly segments in Assam ended on Monday with an estimated 66 per cent polling recorded.
The chief electoral officer, Assam, Mr Hemanta Narzary, told this newspaper that around 66 per cent polling was recorded.
He however said, “This is the tentative figure. It may go up once we get the final calculation of each and every polling stations.”
Informing that by and large polling was peaceful, he said that they are looking into the complaints from a few polling stations where re-polling may be ordered.
“We have received complains from two polling station including Borkhola in Barrak Valley where some clash inside the polling station took place. We are looking into the complaints and re-polling may be ordered,” said Mr Narzary saying that turn out of the electorate was good.
The fate of 485 candidates were sealed in the EVM of these, 38 are women nominee.
The Congress and the BJP has fielded 62 candidates each for the first phase, while the Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) had put up 51 nominees. There are 157 independent candidates in the fray for the first phase.
Among the prominent candidates whose fate were sealed in the first phase vote include the Chief Minister, Mr Tarun Gogoi, power minister, Mr Pradyut Bordoloi, Assam BJP president, Mr Ranjit Dutta, and senior AGP leader, Mr Brindaban Goswami.
Over 30,000 police and paramilitary troopers were deployed for the first phase with authorities not taking any chances despite a general lull in the insurgency front.
The elections in Assam, West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Puducherry end on May 10 in West Bengal. This is the first major electoral exercise since the 2009 general elections.