Guwahati: Filing of nomination papers for the first phase of Assam legislative assembly elections ends today (9 March 2021) where polling will take place on 27 March in 47 assembly constituencies. The deadline is the same for West Bengal also, where 30 seats will witness the polling exercise on the 27th of this month.
Assam chief minister Sarbananda Sonowal is going to submit his nomination in Majuli. The senior BJP leader will seek re-election from the Brahmaputra river island seat. Union minister Jitendra Singh, president of BJP’s ally Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) Atul Bora, state minister Himanta Biswa Sarma are expected to accompany Sonowal in the process.
State assembly speaker Hitendra Nath Goswami, ministers Ranjit Dutta and Naba Kumar Doley, Assam Congress president Ripun Bora, AGP leaders Bora, Keshab Mahanta have already submitted their nomination papers. Asom Jatiya Parishad chief Lurinjyoti Gogoi and Raijor Dal leader Akhil Gogoi also filed their nominations.
Meanwhile, as the State prepares for the polls on 27 March, 1 and 6 April next, hectic preparations by the State electoral officers become operational. Recently a detailed review meeting was organised in presence of the Election Commission of India’s special central observers with various poll-regulatory agencies in the city.
The meeting, attended by special general observer Sudarsanam Srinivasan, special police observer Ashok Kumar, special expenditure observer Neena Nigam, additional State chief electoral officer Vinod Seshan, ECI representatives Dharmendra Sharma and Pankaj Srivastava (via video conferencing), reviewed performances of various regulatory agencies for conducting free and fair polls.
All India Radio has taken the responsibility to create more awareness about the elections among the masses. The State chief electoral officer (CEO) has already entrusted many senior officers to participate in AIR produced interview-based programs. Accordingly additional CEO Debo Prasad Mishra, joint CEO Lakhinandan Saharia will speak about training and electoral roll, additional CEO Vinod Seshan with two other officers will describe poll-expenditure monitoring, etc.
Additional CEO Oinam Sarankumar Singh and joint CEO Pranjal Choudhury will then talk about postal ballot facilities, where joint CEO Rahul Chandra Das and one officer will narrate about the poll process, joint CEO Pulak Patgiri and one officer on EVM matters and joint CEO P Uday Praveen with Dimple Barua will discuss SVEEP.
