Goalpara (Assam):
An estimated 75 per cent electorate exercised their franchise in the third and final phase of panchayat elections in Assam today which was marred by violence leaving 10 dead and several others, including security personnel, injured.
In Goalpara district, the turnout was reported to be 60 per cent thought final figures were yet to come in, officials said. Four Army columns have been deployed, which is about 250 soldiers, to help the local police maintain law and order in Goalpara, where 10 people were killed in clashes.
Goalpara is around 120 kilometres (75 miles) from the state capital of Guwahati. The police opened fire when members of the Rabha tribe, which is opposing the panchayat elections, started torching villages and attacked government officials. The police said they also attacked a Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) jawan with a knife and tried to snatch arms from cops.
The Rabha tribe wants autonomy in this part of the state and rejects government control. It believes that panchayats or village councils will undermine its own council's authority.
Voting was held in 687 booths out of the 807 polling stations in the district and polls had to be postponed.
The three districts of Barak Valley - Cachar, Hailakandi and Karimganj - also witnessed poll related violence but registered a very high rate of nearly 80 per cent polling.
The votes polled in Dhubri, parts of Nagaon and Morigaon districts were more than 70 per cent.
In the final phase of panchayat polls in the state, altogether 38,663 candidates are in the fray, out of which 931 candidates are contesting for 135 Zila Parishads, 3.915 for 744 Anchalik Panchayat constituencies, 3.928 are contesting for 744 Gaon Panchayat President constituencies and 29,889 are contesting for 7,440 Gaon Panchayat member constituencies.