India News | Assam CEO Oversees Preparations in Gossaigaon Ahead of By-polls
Get latest articles and stories on India at LatestLY. With the Assam assembly by-polls slated to be held on October 30, Chief Electoral Officer Nitin Khade Friday visited Gossaigaon to review the arrangements.
Guwahati, Oct 22 (PTI) With the Assam assembly by-polls slated to be held on October 30, Chief Electoral Officer Nitin Khade Friday visited Gossaigaon to review the arrangements.
Bhabanipur, Tamulpur, Mariani, and Thowra are among the other seats where by-elections are scheduled to be held in the North-eastern state.
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The CEO visited Joymahat Lower Primary School, Dhauliguri Lower Primary School, and the meeting ground at Gossaigaon Higher Secondary School in Gossaigaon Assembly constituency, an Election Department release said.
After inspecting the strong rooms, he expressed satisfaction over the security arrangements there.
Khade also chaired a review meeting with Kokrajhar Deputy Commissioner Varnali Deka, Gossaigaon District Election Officer Rahul Gupta, Kokrajhar, and Baksa Superintendents of Police Prateek Thube and Abhijit Gaurav.
Underscoring the need for conducting a free, fair, and safe election, the CEO also asked the nodal officers to take steps for ensuring strict implementation of COVID-19 protocol during electioneering and the entire poll process.
Altogether 245 main polling stations and 34 auxiliary polling stations are being prepared for the polling day in Gossaigaon constituency where 92,966 women, 97,672 men, and two third gender voters are eligible to exercise their franchise, the release said.
By-polls in Gossaigaon and Tamulpur have been necessitated due to the death of the sitting MLAs, while the incumbents of Bhapanipur, Mariani, and Thowra resigned from their seats to join the ruling BJP.
The Gossaigaon seat was won by the BPF (Bodoland People's Front) in the March-April Assembly polls, while the UPPL (United People's Party, Liberal) had bagged Tamulpur.
The Congress had won Mariani and Thowra, while All India United Democratic Front secured Bhabanipur.
Counting of votes will be taken up on November 2 and the entire polling process will be completed by November 5.
In the 126-seat House, the ruling BJP has 59 MLAs, and its allies Asom Gana Parishad and UPPL have nine and five MLAs each, respectively.
The Congress has 27, AIUDF 15, BPF three, and the CPI(M) one, besides an Independent MLA. Union minister Sarbananda Sonowal had vacated his Majuli seat following his recent election to the Rajya Sabha but the by-election to it was not announced as he had put in his papers after the declaration of dates for the other five seats.
(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)