(Embargoed for Publication/Broadcast till 1700 hrs)

Guwahati, Apr 1 (UNI) As the sun sets in the horizon, the heat and dust of electioneering in 65 constituencies of Asom settled down.

These constituencies are going to polls on Monday, in the first phase, when the fate of 515 candidates would be decided.

Campaigning for this phase was mostly violence free even as strict implementation of Election Commission's (EC) guidelines kept campaigners on their toes.

The build up to the polls was rather slow this time as the parties failed to come out with the candidates' lists till the last moment. Appeasing dissidents and forging the right equations with prospective allies took up the major share of the leaders' time, leaving the campaigning part to be taken care of by the media cell managers.

The incumbent Congress, held regular meetings and highlighted the government's achievements of the past five years.

Congress president Sonia Gandhi was the star campaigner for the party while Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's visit today, which wrapped up the party's campaign, proved to be the icing on the cake.

For the BJP, it was a star-studded campaign all the way. Party stalwarts including president Rajnath Singh, Ms Sushma Swaraj and Mr Narendra Modi and other top leaders made a beelive to for the state.

Adding glamour to the saffron party's campaign were 'Dream girl' Hema Malini, Smriti 'Tulsi' Irani and 'Yudhister' Gajendra Chouhan, and cricketer Navjot Singh Siddhu.

The Asom Gana Parishad (AGP), not to be left behind, also brought in their set of star campaigners. From Jaya Bachchan to Jaya Prada and from Chandrababu Naidu to Amar Singh, all shared the dais for the AGP. The main Opposition party in the state even managed to get a statement of support for the people from Amitabh Bachchan.

The Shahi Imam of Delhi's Jama Masjid was also in the state to campaign for a new floated party which had a strong Muslim base.

The Left parties too brought in their share of labour and trade union leaders, including Tripura Chief Minister Manik Sarkar and Bengal MP Hasan Mollah.

The EC's strict vigilance did somber down the campaigning a bit but it reached its climax during the final days. Banners and posters hung on every available pole as the EC banned the sticking of posters on walls. Make-shift party offices, bustling with activists, added a festive colour to the atmosphere.

UNI SG-MT KK YA KP1455