Campaigning for the second phase of Lok Sabha elections ended at 5 pm today. Five constituencies in the State – Karimganj, Silchar, Autonomous District (Diphu), Nowgong (Nagaon) and Mangaldoi – will go to polls in the second phase on April 18.
Under Section 126 of the Representation of the People Act, 1951, campaigning in any form is prohibited during the period of 48 hours ending with the hour fixed for conclusion of poll.
A total of 50 candidates are in the fray in the five constituencies of Assam going to the polls in the second phase. There are 14 candidates in fray in Karimganj, 13 in Silchar, 11 in Mangaldoi, seven in Nagaon and five in Diphu.
There are a total of 8,992 polling stations in the five Lok Sabha seats which comprises 39 Legislative Assembly Constituency (LAC) segments.
The total number of electors eligible to exercise their franchise in the five constituencies is 69,10,592 of which 35,54,460 are male, 33,55,952 are female and 180 belong to the third gender.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP chief Amit Shah led the ruling party’s campaign in the five constituencies, while for the Congress the major star campaigners included party president Rahul Gandhi and party general secretary Priyanka Gandhi.
In the last parliamentary elections held in 2014, the BJP had emerged victorious in Nagaon and Mangaldoi constituencies and the Congress had won from Silchar and Diphu, while the AIUDF had secured the Karimganj seat.
This time while the main contest in Silchar, Diphu, Nagaon and Mangaldoi constituencies are expected to be between the ruling BJP and the principal opposition party Congress, a three-cornered contest is likely in Karimganj among the BJP, Congress and the AIUDF.
Most of the district administration authorities in the areas that will go to polls in the second phase have imposed Section 144 of the CrPC, prohibiting various activities to ensure free and fair elections, while security has been stepped up in sensitive zones.
