Assam: 55 per cent voting till 3 pm
According to election office sources, Guwhati registered 54 per cent voting, Kokrajhar 41 per cent, Dhubri 39 per cent, Barpeta 34 per cent, Mangaldoi 35 per cent and Nowgong 32 per cent.
With the temperature shooting up to nearly 40 degree Celsius in Guwahati and being high in the other constituencies, voters were seen standing in long queues in front of the polling stations from 6.30 am to finish casting their ballots before it got too hot.
Enthusiasm was noticed among the first time voters in the 18-21 years age group as they lined up in large numbers. Altogether 74 contestants, including nine women, are in the electoral battle for the six seats.
EVM malfunctioning was reported in several polling centres but voting continued after the EVMs were replaced, the sources said.
The prominent candidates in this phase of polling are the AIUDF president and sitting MP Badruddin Ajmal, Assam Tourism and Transport Minister Chandan Brahma of BPF, sitting BPF MP S K Bwiswmuthiary, former ULFA Commander Naba (Hira) Sarania contesting as an independent, former Meghalaya Governor and NSG chief Ranjit Shekhar Mooshahary of Trinamool Congress.
Also
in
the
fray
are
sitting
Congress
MP
Ismail
Hussain,
former
AGP
President
and
now
a
BJP
member
Chandra
Mohan
Patowary,
AGP
MLA
Phani
Bhushan
Choudhury,
sitting
BJP
MPs
Ramen
Deka,
Bijoya
Chakravarty
and
Rajen
Gohain,
AGP
candidate
and
former
Rajya
Sabha
member
Birendra
Prasad
Baishya.
PTI