78.09 per cent polling in Assam, voters still in queue

Assam witnessed 78.09 per cent voter turnout in the second and last phase of polling for 61 constituencies at 5 pm today amid reports of violence at some places.
The final percentage would, however, be available late in the evening as voters already inside the 12,699 polling stations spread across middle and lower Assam will be allowed to cast their ballots, Election Office sources said.
CRPF fired in the air at a polling station at Chaygaon in Kamrup district following a public agitation over a jawan of the Central force allegedly "misbehaving" with a pregnant voter to prevent her from going back to the booth after casting her vote. She had reportedly left her child behind.

Following this the entire CRPF team deployed in the polling station was replaced, Kamrup Superintendent of police Prasanta Saikia said.
In Barpeta district one person was killed and three others, including two CRPF personnel, were injured in a clash between the Central force and voters at a polling station in Sorbhog constituency over forming a queue for casting vote.
A scuffle had broken out at Safarkumar polling station when the CRPF personnel asked voters to stand in queue properly, which led to arguments and jostling, district election officials said.

In the scuffle an 80-year old voter, another voter and a CRPF Assistant Commandant and a constable Amarjeet were injured. They were rushed to Barpeta Medical College Hospital where the octogenarian was declared dead.

Voting in both the polling stations, however, continued uninterrupted, the election office sources said.
Former prime minister Manmohan Singh, who represented Assam in the Rajya Sabha for 15 years came from Delhi to cast his ballot at Dispur Government High School here.
Prominent among the 525 contestants in the fray today are ministers Rakibul Hussain, Chandan Sarkar and Nazrul Islam from Congress, AGP leader Prafulla Kumar Mahanta and BJP national spokesman Sidhartha Bhattacharya.
Former Congress minister Himanta Biswa Sarma who had led a dissidence movement against Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi and joined BJP last year also tested his electoral fate today.