Stage set for polls in two Assam assembly seats Saturday

Guwahati, Nov 6

Two Assam assembly constituencies go to polls Saturday amid tight security, officials said.

An Election Commission official said voting for the Dhekiajuli and South Salmara seats would begin at 7 a.m.

The by-elections were necessitated after incumbent legislators Joseph Toppo from the Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) and Badruddin Ajmal of the Asom United Democratic Front (AUDF) were elected to the Lok Sabha in May.

Around 161,959 voters will decide the electoral fate of seven candidates in Dhekiajuli with the fight for political supremacy expected between the AGP and the Congress.

Dhekiajuli is in north Assam's Sonitpur district, about 160 km from here.

Three independent candidates contesting the polls in Dhekiajuli late Thursday announced their support to the Congress.

"We are confident of winning the seat," Congress candidate Bhimananda Tanti told IANS.

In the South Salmara seat, the contest is expected to be a direct one between the AUDF and the Congress party.

The AUDF has fielded Abdur Rahman Ajmal, son of party chief Badruddin Ajmal, while former minister Wajed Ali Choudhury is the Congress candidate.

This is the first time Ajmal's son, a 28-year-old Islamic cleric from Deoband, has entered the electoral fray.

A total of 131, 836 voters are eligible to exercise their franchise in South Salmara with five candidates in the running.

South Salmara is in west Assam's Dhubri district, about 300 km from here.

Last updated on Nov 6^th, 2009 at 12:50 pm IST--IANS

Possibly related news:

Other News Headlines

Punjab flags off motorcycle highway patrol

Chandigarh, March 15

In a bid to make national highways safer and to streamline the flow of increasing traffic, a new highway patrol scheme was launched in Punjab with the flagging off of 50 Enfield motorcycles here Monday.

Probe into swarm of bees at Mayawati rally

Lucknow, March 15

In a late Monday night development, the Uttar Pradesh government ordered a high-level probe into the sudden arrival of a swarm of bees at the Ramabai Ambedkar ground while Chief Minister Mayawati was addressing a huge party rally there earlier in the day.

School teacher gets 18 months' jail for dowry demands

Chandigarh, March 15

A local court here Monday sentenced a Sanskrit teacher in a Chandigarh government school and his parents to 18 months' rigorous imprisonment for harassing his wife for dowry.

'Vaccine shots to infants in Madhya Pradesh were poisonous'

Bhopal, March 15

The anti-measles vaccine that killed four babies in Madhya Pradesh's Damoh district last week turned a killer because it was used over three hours after being mixed, a health official said Monday.

Michael Foot's funeral held

London, March 15

British Prime Minister Gordon Brown Monday led mourners at the funeral of former Labour leader and MP Michael Foot, a lifelong friend of India.

Enter Your Name and Email below and Post your comment
Name	Email:
Comment:

Please login to use this service
Usermame :
Password :
Quick signup \| Forgot Password