Over 50 per cent electorate in Silchar Lok Sabha constituency in Assam exercised their franchise peacefully on Monday after the polls scheduled for April 26 were postponed due to heavy rains and floods.
Election office here said half of the 8,79,243 electors, including 4,20,909 women, had cast their votes amidst tight security with no untoward incident reported so far.
With the weather sunny and the flood waters drying up, polling was brisk in the 1030 polling stations, most of which were under rain water on April 26.
The polls will decide the fate of 11 candidates, including former Union Ministers Santosh Mohan Deb (Cong) and Kabindra Purkayashtha (BJP).
Electronic Voting Machines (EVM) used for the first time in the constituency evoked keen voter interest and people stood in long queues to cast their ballots.
Tight security was arranged to ensure free and fair polls with 346 polling stations identified as `hypersensitive' and 344 as 'sensitive' in the Barak Valley constituency.
BSF personnel were patrolling along the international border with Bangladesh to prevent miscreants sneaking in from across the 32-km frontier and indulging in bogus voting as alleged by the BJP.
{{/usCountry}}BSF personnel were patrolling along the international border with Bangladesh to prevent miscreants sneaking in from across the 32-km frontier and indulging in bogus voting as alleged by the BJP.
{{/usCountry}}The prominent candidates in the fray are Congress heavy weight Santosh Mohan Dev, former Union Minister Kabindra Purkayastha (BJP), Nurul Huda (CPI-M) and sitting Samajwadi MLA Anowar Hussain Laskar.
Besides the normal police force, 16 companies of paramilitary forces were assisting in the poll process, while Section 144 CrPC had also been imposed with no person or political parties allowed to set up booths within 200 meters of any polling station.