2,901 candidates in fray for civic polls

By Our Staff Reporter

Guwahati, February 5: Altogether 2,901 candidates are in fray for the municipal board and town committee elections slated for February 9.

A total of 3,022 nomitions were filed, of which 16 were rejected and 105 withdrawn. There are a total of 746 wards in 32 municipal boards and 42 town committee in the State.

The number of voters is 14,84,496, of which 7,62,302 are male and 7,22,194 are female. The number of voters has gone up by 12 per cent, as compared to the previous civic polls in 2009.

There are a total of 1,748 polling stations whose security plans would be made by the respective DCs and SPs.

State Election commissioner HN Bora said campaigning will end at 4 pm of February 7. Polling will begin at 8 am on February 9 and will close at 4 pm.

“Altogether 37 joint secretary level officers have been appointed as observers. They have already reached their respective places,” Bora said.

There election commission has so far registered four cases of election code violation, all filed by the BJP. One of the cases is against Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi and another against cabinet minister Chandan Sarkar. As campaigning progressed in full swing, the elections are expected to be a close fight between the Congress, which is desperate to regain its lost ground, and a confident BJP which is hoping to ride on the ‘Modi wave’.  

In 2009, the Congress had won 425 of the 696 wards. The AGP had bagged 102, while the BJP had won in 66. The CPI(M) had won in two while Independents had wrested 101 wards.