GUWAHATI: Six constituencies will go to poll on Thursday in the third and final phase of Lok Sabha election in Assam to decide the fate of 74 candidates.
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, who has been representing Assam in the Rajya Sabha since 1991, and his wife Gursharan Kaur are scheduled to arrive here on Thursday and cast their votes at Dispur Government Higher Secondary School around noon.
Polling will be held to decide the fate of 74 candidates, including nine women, in Kokrajhar(ST), Dhubri, Barpeta, Mangaldoi, Gauhati and Nowgong spread over the districts of Dhubri, Kokrajhar, Bongaigaon, Goalpara, Nalbari, Baksa, Chirang, Darrang, Udalguri, Morigaon, Nagaon, Kamrup (Metro) and Kamrup(Rural).
Guwahati senior superintendent of police (City) A K Tewary said the SPG had chalked out an elaborate security arrangement for the Prime Minister and his wife.
Security has been tightened across all six constituencies, particularly in Kokrajhar district, where the NDFB(S) is active and sporadic incidents of pre-poll violence occurred with 75 companies of security forces being deployed.
Security has been tightened along the international border with Bangladesh and Bhutan in Dhubri, Barpeta and Mangaldoi constituencies too.
An electorate of 94,21,977, including 48,79,424 males and 45,42,553 female are expected to exercise their franchise in 11,994 polling stations of which 920 are hyper-sensitive and 1658 sensitive.
In minority-dominated Dhubri constituency, where 15 candidates are in fray, the contest is expected to be between AIUDF chief and sitting MP Badruddin Ajmal, Congress candidate Wazed Ali Choudhury and BJP's Debamoy Sanyal.
An interesting battle is on the cards in the Kokrajhar (ST) constituency with six candidates in fray including Assam tourism minister Chandan Brahma of BPF and sitting BPF MP S K Bwismuthiary who was denied a ticket by the party and is now contesting as an independent bidding to win for the fifth consecutive term.
Barpeta with 15 candidates in fray is another seat which has evoked great interest. The Mangaldoi constituency has 12 candidates in fray.
The prestigious Gauhati constituency has the highest number of 18 candidates contesting.
Heat wave may mar turnout in Assam's final phase
GUWAHATI, APRIL 23 (ET): Just ahead of third and final phase of polls for 2014 Lok Sabha where ballots will be cast on April 24, Northeast India has been hit by extreme weather conditions. Apprehensions are that if such weather condition persists Assam may not be able to register impressive voter turnout witnessed in the last two phases of April 7 and 12.
The northeastern region is reeling under hot weather conditions. Northeast India on Monday recorded temperatures of 40.1 degree Celsius, something unseen since April 17, 1999. Guwahati's normal temperature at this time of the year is an average 31 degree.
Six Lok Sabha constituencies of Guwahati, Dhubri, Nagaon, Kokrajhar, Mangaldoi and Barpeta will go to polls on Thursday. It is BJP's turn now to defend its bastions Guwahati, Dhubri and Nagaon and Mangaldoi.
Congress is defending Barpeta and its ally Bodoland Peoples Front (BPF) is fighting hard to retain the Kokrajhar Lok Sabha seat.
In the first two phases Assam witnessed voter turnout of 78.72 per cent and 76.33 per cent, respectively. Additional chief electoral officer of Assam, R C Jain, told ET, "Whatever might be the weather conditions we are expecting a robust turnout in the third phase."
Sources in Regional Meteorology Centre Guwahati (RMC) said that dry westerly winds blowing from the Gangetic plains in the lower atmosphere were at the root of the present hot weather condition in the region. The Met office has ruled out any possibility of rainfall in the anext couple of days.
Political parties are worried that extreme weather conditions may work as a dampener. The prevailing power cuts and unscheduled load shedding in Assam are also adding to the people's woes.
Over 9.4 million people are expected to exercise their franchise on Thursday. A total of 74 candidates are in the fray for the six constituencies.
