Assam is all set for counting of votes for the 126 Assembly seats which went to the polls in two phases in April.
The counting will be held on Thursday to decide whether the ruling Congress can hold on to its 15 years’ rule or the BJP and its allies can grab power. While exit polls have indicated a clear and decisive victory for the saffron party in Assam, the Congress and the AIUDF are confident that they would win.
Counting would begin from 8 am, when the EVMs would be unlocked.
The political fate of 1,064 candidates would be decided. Some prominent ones are Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi, former chief minister Prafulla Kumar Mahanta, BJP’s chief ministerial candidate Sarbananda Sonowal, former Union minister Paban Singh Ghatowar, BJP’s poll manager Himanta Biswa Sarma and AIUDF chief Maulana Badaruddin Ajmal.
While half a dozen exit polls predicted victory for the BJP and its partners, the ruling Congress has ruled out such results. “The exit polls had failed in Bihar and Delhi. We might not do as well as we did in the last election 2011 but we will be the single largest party,” said Gaurav Gogoi, Congress MP and Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi’s son.
Meanwhile, the mood in the BJP camp has been jubilant, but with caution. The party sees a real chance to come to power. However, a section from the AGP, its ally, have raised objections to BJP’s chief minister candidate Union Sports Minister Sarbananda Sonowal.
“We have a similar feedback from the ground as the exit polls and we expect to win convincingly. People have voted for change. We will form the next government,” Sonowal told DH.
While the AIUDF and its party chief Ajmal feel they will bring major surprise and will become the kingmaker.
In the 2011 Assembly polls, the ruling Congress had won 79 seats, AIUDF 18, AGP nine and the BJP bagged five seats and its current ally, Bodo Peoples Front, had won 12 seats.
But in the 2014 Lok Sabha polls, BJP won seven out of the 14 seats.
As many as 5,313 officials have been deputed in 51 counting centres across the state. A three-tier security arrangement has been made in every counting centre, EC sources added.
The EC has banned sale of liquor on May 19 and May 20 and political parties have been barred from taking out victory rallies.
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