A total of 981 candidates are in the fray for the 126 Assembly constituencies in Assam that go to polls in two phases on 4th and 11th April, while there are 447 male candidates and 38 women in the first phase, the figure is 449 and 47 for the second phase.
While 485 hopefuls are in the race for 62 seats in the first phase, 496 are in the fray for 64 seats in the second phase, Additional Chief Electoral Officer M C Sahu told reporters in Guwahati on Wednesday.
While there are 447 male candidates and 38 women in the first phase, the figure is 449 and 47 for the second phase.The ruling Congress and the opposition BJP have fielded 62 candidates each. The opposition Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) has 51 nominees.
There are 157 independents in the first phase. In the second phase 64 Congress candidates are in the fray while there are 58 BJP nominees, 58 of Trinamool Congress and 53 of AGP.
There are a maximum of 25 contestants in the fray in South Karimganj, while there only three hopefuls for the Baithalangshu seat in the first phase.
In the second phase, the highest number 46 candidates are in the race for the Sorukhetri seat while three hopefuls are in the fray for the Chapaguri seat, Sahu said.
There be a total of 52 general EC observers while 42 expenditure EC officials will be monitoring the campaign of candidates for the poll, he said.
Meanwhile, altogether 35,000 personnel of various security forces have come to Assam to assist 9,600 jawans in the state to ensure law and order during the two-phase Assembly polls.
The forces would be deployed in different areas of the 126 constituencies in the state, Additional Chief Electoral Officer, M C Sahu said.
Two helicopters have also been kept ready to meet any emergency, he said.
For the first time SMS-based poll monitoring system would be implemented through which the state election commission would be informed about activities in polling stations, he said.
In the first phase, where polling will be held in 62 seats, 1,350 booths would be covered by cameras, both video and still, while in the second phase covering the remaining constituencies, 1,148 booths would come under such scanner, he said.
Sahu said while 117 violent incidents occurred in the run-up to the poll, 4562 non-bailable warrants had been issued.
Police seized 102 unlicensed arms and recovered 3,282 cartridges, 297 detonators and 13 grenades.
A total of 6,569 licensed arms had also been deposited, Sahu said.
In the first phase of polling, out of 11,264 stations 2,093 have been declared ‘hyper-sensitive’ and 2,985 ‘sensitive’.
Besides, 817 villages had been identified as ‘vulnerable’.
In the second phase, out of 12,589 polling stations, 2,033 have been declared ‘hyper sensitive’ and 4,175 ‘sensitive’.
A total of 475 villages has been identified as ‘vulnerable’, he added.