Assam is all set for the second and final phase of Lok Sabha voting on Thursday in 11 of the 14 Parliamentary constituencies. According to information, polling officials along with materials have already reached their respective polling centres. Elections are set to be held in Dibrugarh, Jorhat, Kaliabor, Nagaon, Tezpur, Lakhimpur, Guwahati, Mangaldoi, Barpeta, Dhubri and Kokrajhar.
The state went to the first phase of polling in three seats...Silchar, Karimganj and Autonomous District in Assam April 16 with heavy polling recorded. An estimated 14.73 million voters are eligible to exercise their franchise in the second phase in which 121 candidates are in the fray. The ruling Congress party is locked in a direct fight with the opposition combine of the Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), while for at least two seats it would be a triangular contest with the Asom United Democratic Front (AUDF) also emerging as a political force to be reckoned with.
The BJP has renominated one out of its two sitting MPs with Rajen Gohain contesting from Nagaon while its other MP Narayan Borkotoky from Mangaldoi is not contesting but its state unit president Ramen Deka is making a bid to retain the seat for the party. The AGP, on the other hand, has renominated both its sitting mps--Sarbananda Sonowal from Dibrugarh and Dr Arun Sarmah from Lakhimpur. BJP's Kokrajhar candidate S K Swismuthiary is seeking a fourth term in Parliament and had contested the 2004 polls as an Independent.
The Congress has also given tickets to three former MPs who contested the last polls but lost--Paban Singh Ghatowar from Dibrugarh, Ranee Narah from Lakhimpur and Madhab Rajbongshi from Mangaldoi. BJP's Bijoya Chakravorty, who had won the 1999 polls and went on to become a union minister but was denied a ticket in 2004 in favour of Assam's cultural icon Dr Bhupen Hazarika, has been given the ticket for the prestigious Gauhati seat.
Two former Rajya Sabha MPs--U G Brahma of Bodoland Peoples' Progressive forum (BPPF) and Dhrupad Borgohain (cpi)- are contesting from Kokrajhar and Jorhat parliamentary seats. AUDF President Badruddin Ajmal, sitting MLA from south Salmara in Dhubri, and his brother Sirajuddin Ajmal, MLA from Jamunamukh and Nagaon, are contesting from two seats each. The party president is contesting from Dhubri and Silchar, which went to polls in the first phase while his brother is contesting from Nagaon and Kaliabor. CPI's Dhrupad Borgohain, sitting MLA from Nazira, is contesting from Jorhat and Congress's captain Robin Bordoloi, sitting MLA from Gauhati (east), is the party candidate for Gauhati parliamentary seat.
If magh bihu comes can community fishing be far behind? From early in the morning people in several places across the state are landing in community fishing a few hours before the feasting festival. Armed with the various traditional weapons, people, mostly, living near the rivers and water bodies are engaged in fishing.“It is our tradition of fishing on Uruka day. I have a good catch of fish half an hour after I landed in this water body. I need no longer to stay here,” Jiten Barman told Assam Times in Nalbari who joined the fishing early in the morning.Tridip Das a local resident of Jalukbari area is equally happy after he caught a fish during the community fishing in deepor beel, a well...
Braving a biting chill, the entire state is soaked in Magh bihu festivity on Wednesday. Every household is busy with the last minute preparations a day before the much vaunted festival of feast.Today is uruka, the day of feast festival. Shops and markets are teeming with people for last minute shopping for the evening feast. Fish, meat and vegetables are flooding in the markets from early in the morning. Apart from feast a series of cultural programmes are lined up on the occasion.After the whole night celebration, the bihu would take place on Thursday morning by liting up the wooden made meji to offer puja to the god of fire. Governor PB Acharya, chief minister Tarun Gogoi along with many...
Only a day is left for Magh Bihu, the much vaunted festival of feast and merriment. But soaring prices seem to have embittered the real taste of the festival. Shops and markets are teeming with the people for bihu shopping. But a sudden price hike makes it difficult for the common to buy the commodities in the shops and markets.“Beaten rice is available in the markets. But the price stands at Rs 60 per kg. We the common people can hardly afford cream. Price of curd, pulse, coconut and molasses are also going up,” said Ananta Saikia in Ganeshguri.Jina Devi, a housewife in Beltola told Assam Times that a tight purse has not allowed them to buy more commodities in the market. She said, “We...
The North East Research and Social Work Networking (NERSWN), an NGO of Kokrajhar base observes its 10th foundation day with two day long progrmme from Monday at Gwjwn Dera NERSWN Complex, Chnandrapara in Kokrajhar. Deputy Commissioner Themeswar Malakar inaugurated the Children’ Mela where the different types of Science Exhibition, Magic Show, Sports, Literarily and cultural by the student children displayed. Children from different schools of lower Assam participated and displayed their talent in the field of science, arts, Technologies etc.A Seminar on “Civil Society Space in Promoting peace and Reconciliation in Zone of Conflict” was also organized the seminar was...
Senior bureacrate Himanshu Sekhar Das took oath as chief commissioner of RTI on Monday. Governor JB Patnaik administered Das the oath of office and secrecy at a brief fuction at the Raj Bhawan in the morning. Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi was also present in the function.
The Assam Government will confer Sukapha award to noted lawyer KN Saikia on Tuesday. The former Supreme Court judge will receive the award from chief minister Tarun Gogoi at a function at Rabindra Bhawan in the afternoon.
A total of 702 tribal families were given away land pattas, covering 300 bighas of forest land under the Scheduled Tribes and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers (Recognition of Forest Rights) Act, 2006 under Chirang Forest Division at a function held at Dhunabari Lower Primary school in Chirang Tuesday. BTC chief Hagrama Mohilary handed over the papers in the presence of BTC Deputy Chief Kampa Borgoyary, Deputy Commissioner, Chirang, Virendra Singh Mittal, DFO, Chirang, Subash Chandra Brahma and Project Director Deba Kumar Kalita. BTC Speaker Paniram Brahma and former Transport Minister, Government of Assam, Chandan Brahma were also present in the meeting.
Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh put in his papers before the President on Saturday. Dr Singh, who represents Assam in the Rajya Sabha, rushed to president Pranab Mukherjee at the Rashtrapati Bhawan at 12.30 in the afternoon where he tendered his resignation letters. Mukherjee accepted his letter and requested Dr Singh to continue the office till the next candidate takes over as the prime minister. Dr Singh, a professor and economist and former RBI governor was inducted in the Narasimha Rao cabinet as finance minister in 1991. In 1992, he was elected to the Rajya Sabha from Assam. Later in 20 04, when the party regained power he was sworn in as prime minister. He continued the office when...
Chief minister Tarun Gogoi said that he would quit taking moral responsibility of his party's dismal show in the Lok Sabha polls. Talking to Assamtimes at his Koinadhara residence on Friday, a visibly Gogoi said that he would send his letter to Sonia Gandhi seeking her consent. Same this was what APCC president Bhubneswar Kalita said after his party was trailing behind BJP in 8 seats.
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