About 40 per cent turnout recorded till noon in Asom

Guwahati, Apr 10 (UNI) An estimated 40 per cent polling was recorded till noon in the second and final phase of Assembly elections to 61 seats in Asom amid tight security measures.

Weather continued to play spoilsport in the second phase even as incidents of pre-poll violence were reported from across the state.

However, with the weather looking up, people were seen queuing up in large numbers in front of polling booths.

Altogether 61 constituencies, mostly in Lower Asom, the northern banks of the Brahmaputra and the Hills districts, are going to the polls in this phase. The first phase was held on April three.

An 8.2 million strong electorate, including 3.98 lakh women voters, would decide the fate of 482 candidates, 451 male and 31 female, who are in the fray in polls to the 126-member state Assembly.

As many as 8,995 polling booths are in place for the second phase.

A teacher was killed in Kokrajhar district and a CRPF jawan abducted in Karbi Anglong in pre-poll violence early this morning.

Tension prevailed in various poll-bound constituencies yesterday following a clash between rival political factions. Clashes between the Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) and Congress supporters were reported from various parts.

The AGP president's car was also attacked by alleged Congress supporters in Tezpur yesterday, from where he is the sitting MLA.

Besides the Bodoland Territorial Area's Districts, special security arrangements had been made in the hill district of Karbi Anglong. The proscribed KLNLF had called for a poll boycott in the district.

The Indo-Bhutan border had been sealed to prevent any possible terrorist movement. Vigilance along inter-state boundaries had also been beefed up.

Important candidates in the fryay for this phase are former Chief Minister and AGP(P) president Prafulla Kumar Mahanta, AGP president Brindabon Goswami, also the party's Chief Ministerial candidate, Congress leader Bhumidhar Barman, AUDF president Badruddin Ajmal, besides a host of Bodo and minority leaders.

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