It will be an acid test for opposition bigwigs as over 82.27 lakh voters are expected to exercise their franchise to elect their representatives to the 12th Assam assembly from 61 constituencies in the second phase of polling on Monday.

Election in the second phase will be conducted in 8,995 polling stations spread over 12 districts, including the violence-affected Karbi Anglong hill district, under tight security arrangements involving about 42,000 paramilitary and police personnel.

Complete Coverage: Assembly Elections 2006

In view of the high turn out (73.23 %) voters in the first phase polling on April 3, Election Commission officials in Guwahati are expecting a good percentage of polling in the second phase, where total 482 candidates are in the fray.

Some of the prominent candidates in this phase include opposition Asom Gana Parishad president Brindabon Goswami, former chief minister and newly-formed Asom Gana Parishad (Progressive) candidate Prafulla Kumar Mahanta, president of Assam United Democratic Front and businessman-politician Badaruddin Ajmal, deputy speaker of the Assam Assembly Tanka Bahadur Rai, state home minister Rockybul Hussain and senior Congress leader Bhumidhar Barman.

How Parties Fared in Assam Polls, 2001

The election is construed as an acid test for former chief minister Mahanta who is contesting from his new party that he had to form after being expelled from the AGP that he had founded way back in 1985. Mahanta is contesting from Barhampur and Nagaon constituencies.

AGP president Goswami, who has been projected chief minister candidate by the party, is engaged in keen tussle with Congress candidates at both Tezpur and Borcholla constituencies.

The party-wise break up of candidates for second phase is: AGP-46, BJP-60, CPI-2, CPM-7, INC 56, NCP 22, AUDF 37, AGP (P)-42, Trinamool Gana Parishad-1 and others including Independents-209.

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The Bilasipara West constituency in Goalpara district and Bhabanipur constituency in Barpeta district have the maximum number of candidates (14 each) in the fray in the second phase. There are only two candidates in the fray at Chapaguri constituency in Nalbari district.

For the first time in the state, the EC has decided to provide electronic voting machines with Braille signage feature to facilitate visually challenged voters to cast their votes without a companion's assistance at the Barhampur assembly constituency on an experiment basis.

Also See:
Rediff's Election Blog
Complete Coverage: Assam Polls