Amid Massive Voter Turnout, EC Lodges FIR Against Tarun Gogoi
Assam and parts of West Bengal vote in the second phase of elections. Stay with The Quint’s LIVE blog for updates.
Election Commission lodged a complaint against Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi for holding press conference within 48 hours of polling. This was considered as breach of model code of conduct.
BJP chief ministerial candidate Sarbananda Sonowal called it “violation of rule of law in state”.
Watch The Quint’s interview with Sarbananda Sonowal:
Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi held a press conference even as voting in the second phase of election is underway. The Election Commission had termed this as a violation of the model code of conduct that is currently in place.
EC Lodges FIR Against Tarun Gogoi
Election Commission has lodged an FIR against Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi for holding a press conference within 48 hours of closure of polls.
Gogoi had said that while the poll panel did not take any action for violation of code of conduct by BJP leaders like Himanta Biswa Sarma, it raided the houses of other Congress leaders like Rockybul Hussain and Goutam Bora without any reason.
The EC has, however, said that the allegations made by Gogoi against Himanta Biswa Sarma.
Polling Closes in West Bengal
Voter turnout of over 79.51 percent was recorded by 5:00 pm. These are tentative figures and may change, according to the Election Commission. Voting for second part of first phase of Assembly elections has concluded in three districts of West Bengal.
The high turnout is commendable despite West Bengal reeling under the impact of heat wave. No clashes were reported in any polling stations in West Bengal.
Polling Closes in Assam
Polling for second and final phase of Assembly elections comes to a conclusion in Assam. A voter turnout of an estimated 82.02 percent was recorded in the second phase till 5:00 pm.
The Election Commission (EC) has said that polling was conducted successfully in Assam apart from one incident in Barpeta. EC added that a magisterial inquiry into the incident that result in death of one voter and 2 CRPF personals getting injured has been ordered.
EC Takes Special Steps to Attract Voters
Special steps taken by the election department to attract voters to the polling station struck a chord with the electorate in Kamrup (Metro) district.
Voters made a beeline for the polling stations even before dawn to win a medal for being the day’s first five voters to exercise their franchise in constituencies under the Kamrup (Metro) district.
The model polling station in Rabindra Bhawan, the cultural hub, also attracted a lot of attention with children accompanying their parents enjoying themselves in a special area set up for them and senior citizens resting in a area earmarked particularly for them.
Voter Turnout Till 3 PM
Voter turnout of 69.50 percent recorded till 3 pm in Assam assembly election. Voting is still underway.
Meanwhile, West Bengal has recorded voter turnout of 71.60 percent till 3 pm.
Voter Killed in Clash with Central Forces
An 80-year-old voter was killed while three others, including two CRPF personnel, were injured in a clash between the central force and voters in Sorbhog contituency in Barpeta district.
The situation turned disruptive at Safarkamar polling station when CRPF men asked voters to stand in line properly which led to arguments and jostling, district election officials said.The situation was soon brought under control and voting continued normally, they added.
Voter Turnout Till 1 PM
An estimated 60 percent voter turnout was reported till 1 PM in West Bengal. Of the three districts that have polls, West Midnapore recorded the highest turnout of 65 percent while Bankura reported 57.6 percent and Burdwan had 56.7 percent turnout.
Leaders At Polling Booths
Congress leader Manas Bhuniya casts his vote West Midnapore.
Voter Turnout Till 11 AM
Till 11 am, voter turnout was 39.69 percent in West Bengal and 36 percent in Assam.
Voting is underway in Assam and has been without any incidents since morning. But Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi said,
Voter Turnout
In West Bengal, 20 percent voter turnout has been recorded till 9 am.
In Assam, 15.90 percent turnout has been recorded.
Former Chief Minister and Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) chief Prafulla Kumar Mahanta votes in Nagaon.
Meanwhile in Assam’s Kokrajhar,
Disturbance in Poll States
- A CPI(M) agent was allegedly beaten up by Trinamool Congress workers and stopped from entering a polling booth. One of the agents, who was attacked, sustained a head injury and was taken to the nearest primary healthcare centre. Sheikh Shamser, a TMC worker, was arrested in this connection, the official said.
- Crude bombs were found in two bags near a booth in Jamuria Assembly constituency in Bardhaman district where polling is underway. Police personnel were making arrangements to defuse the bombs.
- An unidentified gunman was found moving around in Sonamukhi assembly constituency in Bankura district, West Bengal.
The Quint Meets the Candidates
In the run-up to the elections, The Quint met with some candidates for whom this election is crucial. Here’s what they had to say.
Bags With Bombs Found in Bardhaman
Two bags carrying bombs found in Jamuria in Bardhaman district, West Bengal. A police team has reached the spot.
Assam: How Many Seats?
Congress – 57 seats
AIUDF – 47 seats
BJP – 35 seats
Bodo Peoples’ Front – 10 seats
Asom Gana Parishad – 19 seats
CPI(M) – 9 seats
CPI – 5 seats
Others – 214 seats
Prominent Candidates
- Cabinet ministers Rakibul Hussain, Chandan Sarkar, and Nazrul Islam
- Former two-time AGP Chief Minister Prafulla Mahanta
- AIUDF chief and Dhubri MP Badruddin Ajmal
- Former Congress minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, who led a dissidence against the Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi before joining the BJP last year
While Congress looks forward to retain power for the fourth successive term, BJP called for a ‘parivartan’ (change) and AIUDF aims to play the king-maker in the formation of the next government.
The stage is set for the second and final phase of polling in Assam. This will decide the fate of 525 candidates in 61 Assembly constituencies. The ruling Congress is locked in a tough fight with the BJP-AGP-BPF alliance on one side and the AIUDF on the other.
Assam
Constituencies across lower and central Assam will have 12,699 polling stations where 1,04,35,271 voters will be able exercise their franchise.
With over 50,000 polling personnel deployed for the second phase, security has been tightened across the constituencies, particularly those in four Bodoland Territorial Area districts where NDFB(S) ultras are active, and in Goalpara district which witnessed a bomb blast recently.
Bengal
Polling in the second part of phase one of the West Bengal Assembly elections for 31 seats is underway.
The alliance of the Left Front and the Congress has put up a tough fight against Trinamool Congress, which aspires to come to power for a consecutive second term.
- A total of 163 candidates, including 21 women, are in the fray in West Midnapore, Bankura and Burdwan districts.
- Polling is being held at 8,465 polling stations.
- Of the about 70 lakh voters, 33.6 lakh are women and 50 belong to the third gender.
The Central Armed Police Forces have been mandated the responsibility of handling situation inside booths while the state police forces are involved in other jobs like maintaining queues and managing the crowd.
Five-time CPI(M) MLA from Narayangarh and Leader of Opposition Surjya Kanta Mishra, senior state Congress leader Manas Bhuniya from Sabang are among the major candidates in this phase.
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