LS poll campaign ends in five parlaimentary seats in Assam

Press Trust of India  |  Guwahati 

Campaigning for the second phase of polling in five parliamentary constituencies of on April 18 ended on Tuesday.

Campaigning for Karimganj(SC), Silchar, Autonmous District(ST), Nowgong and Mangaldoi constituencies ended at 4 p.m and polling will be held on Thursday to decide the fate of 50 candidates, including three women.

Narendra Modi, and party Priyanka Gandhi, Amit Shah, Yogi Adityanath along with his counterpart Sarbananda Sonowal, former were the prominent leaders who campaigned in the state in the second phase.

Himanta Biswa Sarma, state Ranjeet Dass, president Ripun Bora, of the opposition in the state assembly Debabrata Saikia too campaigned.

Actor and campaigned for the party's candidates in constituencies which are going to polls on April 18.

The campaign was characterised mostly by public rallies and road shows by prominent national and state leaders. The candidates concentrated mainly on roadside meetings and door to door campaigning.

The ruling BJP in its campaign concentrated on the initiatives taken by to develop Assam and the North East, including the inauguration of three bridges in the state. The oppostion and other parties highlighted BJP's attempts to bring in the Citizenship Amendment Bill and the alleged failure of the to fulfill the promises made before the 2014 Lok Sabha polls.

The contest in Karimganj (SC) is a triangular one between sitting AIUDF, and BJP, while in the remaining seats the fight is a direct one between BJP and the Congress.

There are three sitting - two of the Congress and one along with three BJP MLAs in the fray.

Karimganj(SC) constituency has the highest number of 14 candidates with sitting pitted against his BJP rival and MLA Kripanath Mallah along with Congress candidate

In neighbouring Silchar constituency there are 13 candidates with sitting Congress and All Mahila Congress president in direct contest with BJP nominee and MLA Rajdeep Roy.

In the (ST) five candidates are in the fray with sitting three-time Congress Biren Singh Engti engaged in a direct fight with BJP's Horen Singh Bey, who is also a former of the insurgent outfit United People's Democratoc Solidarity.

In central Assam's largest constituency of Nowgong there are seven candidates in the fray with former Congress locked in a fight with BJP sitting MLA Rupak Sarmah.

In Mangaldoi Lok Sabha constituency there are 11 candidates in fray with Congress Bhubaneswar Kalita engaged in a direct contest with his BJP rival Dilip Saikia.

The three women candidates are - of Congress, Nazia of in Silchar and Swarnalata Chaliha of the SUCI(C) in Mangaldoi.

An electorate of 69,10,592 - 35,54,460 male, 33,55,95 women and 180 of the third gender, will exercise their franchise in 8992 polling booths.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)

First Published: Tue, April 16 2019. 18:20 IST