Assam: Campaigning for first phase of panchayat poll ends

Campaigning for the first phase of panchayat polls in Assam, scheduled for May 2, in 14 districts of the state ended on Wednesday.
    
Polling in the first phase will be held in the districts of Tinsukia, Dibrugarh, Charaideo, Sivasagar, Majuli, Jorhat, Golaghat, Dhemaji, Lakhimpur, Sonitpur, Biswanath, Cachar, Hailakandi and Sribhumi.
    
Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma led the campaign trail for the ruling NDA along with Union Minister Sarbananda Sonowal and BJP state president Dilip Saikia.
    
Congress Deputy leader in Lok Sabha, Gaurav Gogoi, Congress MPs Pradyut Bordoloi and Rakibul Hussain along with party's state unit president Bhupen Borah campaigned for the party candidates.
    
Panchayat elections will be held in two phases on May 2 and 7 in 27 districts for the first time after the delimitation of the constituencies in the state.
    
Polling will be held on both days from 7:30 am to 4:30 pm and repoll, if any, for the first phase will be held on May 4 and for the second phase on May 9.
    
The counting of votes for both phases will be held simultaneously on May 11.

Also Read: Every Assamese will back Bharat in war against Pakistan: Himanta Biswa Sarma
    
A total of 348 Zila Parishad and Anchalik Parishad candidates have already been elected uncontested with the ruling NDA establishing a lead with 325 seats, according to the Assam State Election Commission.
    
The NDA has already secured 37 Zila Parishad (35 BJP and 2 AGP) and 288 Anchalik Panchayat (259 BJP and 29 AGP) seats unopposed. Independents have won 15 Anchalik Parishad seats, the Congress nine and the AIUDF one seat uncontested.
    
In the second phase, polling will be held at Dhubri, South Salmara, Mankachar, Goalpara, Bongaigaon, Barpeta, Bajali, Nalbari, Kamrup, Kamrup(Metro), Hojai Nagaon, Morigaon and Darrang.
    
Seven districts of the state are under the Sixth Schedule of the constitution where autonomous council polls are held.
    
A total electorate of 1,80,36,682, comprising 90,71,264 male, 89,65,010 female and 408 others, will exercise their franchise in 25,007 polling stations.
    
The total seats include 21,920 Gram Panchayat (GP) members with 10,883 seats reserved for women, 2,192 GP presidents, including 1,097 reserved for women, 2,192 GP vice presidents with 1,108 for women, 2,192 Anchalik Parishad (AP) members with 1,124 reserved for women, 181 AP president with 98 for women, 181 AP vice president with 96 for women and 397 Zilla Parishad members with 199 seats reserved for women.