Assam elections end, over 70 percent voting (Roundup)
April 11th, 2011 - 7:44 pm ICT by IANS
Guwahati, April 11 (IANS) Voting ended Monday in Assam’s second and final phase of elections in 64 of 126 assembly seats, with 70.35 percent polling recorded, officials said.
At the end of the exercise, both the ruling Congress and the opposition both exuded confidence of forming the next government.
“The final polling percentage could be high as we are still compiling figures from remote areas. In about 15 percent of polling stations voting went on well past 3 p.m. as the voters had lined up before the closure time,” the official said.
“We are confident of coming back to power for the third straight term as people voted us for good governance, stability and peace,” Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi said.
The opposition too was optimistic.
“We are confident of winning the polls,” said Chandra Mohan Patowary, president of Assam’s main opposition Asom Gana Parishad (AGP).
Repolling was ordered in five polling stations. A total of 496 candidates were in the fray Monday.
The first phase of polling April 11 involved 485 candidates and it saw an estimated 73 percent polling — for 62 assembly seats.
The Assam result will be declared on May 13 along with the states of Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, Kerala and Puducherry.
The month-long electioneering was marked by a bitter slanging match between the Congress and the opposition.
Although no one has emerged as frontrunner, the Congress is seen to be having an edge because of disunity in opposition ranks.
The AGP, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Asom United Democratic Front (AUDF) fought the polls on their own, without any pre-poll alliance.
The Bodoland People’s Front (BPF) with 11 legislators in the outgoing assembly has a formal pre-poll alliance with the Congress.
“We would get the numbers and if required we can take the help of others. But such a situation would not arise,” the chief minister said.
In the numbers game, the AGP and the BJP could team up but the AUDF would not support any combination if BJP was part of it.
Said AUDF president Badruddin Ajmal: “The AUDF will be the kingmaker after the results are known.”
- We will form Assam government, say both Congress, opposition - May 10, 2011
- Congress, opposition confident of winning in Assam - May 12, 2011
- Assam vote count starts - May 13, 2011
- Assam opposition's grand alliance plans floundering? - Mar 11, 2011
- A fractured opposition in Assam - Oct 20, 2010
- Assam polls: Congress, AGP vie for AUDF support - Dec 26, 2010
- AGP scouts for partners ahead of coming Assam polls - Feb 25, 2011
- Assam all set for final phase polling Monday - Apr 09, 2011
- AGP, BJP scout for partners for polls - Nov 23, 2010
- I am the best chief minister of Assam: Tarun Gogoi - Apr 12, 2011
- Congress achieves a hat-trick in Assam (Lead) - May 13, 2011
- Assam polls: Congress, ally in 'friendly contest' - Nov 29, 2010
- Congress' sole ally in Assam threatens to quit - Apr 07, 2011
- Battle for the minority, tea garden vote begins in Assam - Oct 12, 2010
- No leader of opposition for Assam? - May 14, 2011
Tags: assam, assembly seats, bharatiya janata party, bjp, bpf, chandra mohan, chief minister, closure time, disunity, electioneering, final phase, gogoi, good governance, numbers game, poll alliance, polling stations, puducherry, tamil nadu, tarun, west bengal