Brisk polling in Assam

Guwahati, April 12 (IANS) Brisk balloting was recorded in three Assam Lok Sabha constituencies that went to the polls Saturday.

Election officials said that 11.40 percent polling was recorded in the first two hours of polling.

Voting started at 7 a.m. in almost all the polling stations across the three Lok Sabha constituencies - Silchar, Karimganj and Diphu (Autonomous Council).

In a few polling stations technical snags of the Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) were reported.

The polling is expected to pick up soon, election officials said.

Over 2.9 million people are expected to exercise their franchise.

Out of the three constituencies, the Karimganj Lok Sabha constituency is reserved for Scheduled Caste (SC) and the Diphu (Autonomous District) Lok Sabha constituency is reserved for the Scheduled Tribe (ST).

Of the 2,926,762 eligible voters in the three Lok Sabha constituencies, 1,400,594 are females.

Authorities said a total of 60 polling stations in the three constituencies have been identified as sensitive and a total of 8,880 personnel of the Assam police have been been deployed.

Apart from this, 204 companies of the central paramilitary forces have been stationed to ensure smooth polling.

Officials said webcasting will be in 68 polling stations.

Two militant outfits called for an indefinite bandh since April 7 in the twin districts of Karbi Anglong and Dima Hasao, which comes under the Diphu Lok Sabha constituency, demanding the political parties and candidates to make their stand clear on the demand for creating a separate autonomous state involving both the districts.

Both the outfits withdrew the bandh Friday evening.

Silchar has 17 candidates, including seven Independents, in fray.

BJP's current MP Kabindra Purkayastha, Congress legislator Sushmita Deb from the Silchar assembly constituency, who is the daughter of veteran Congress leader and former union minister Santosh Mohan Deb, and Kutub Ahmed Mazumder of the All India United Democratic Front (AIUDF) are the major contestants.

In Karimganj, there are 15 candidates in the fray, including eight Independents. While the BJP has nominated Krishna Das, the Congress has fielded Lok Sabha member Lalit Mohan Suklabaidya, and the AIUDF has pitted Radheshyam Biswas.

There are five candidates for the Diphu constituency, including the Congress's sitting member Biren Singh Engti and the BJP's Joyram Engleng.