Guwahati: The fate of 197 candidates will be decided in the election on Friday to form a new executive body of the Guwahati Municipal Corporation (GMC) after nine long years. The two dominant issues that have kept the campaign alive have been the hope of the city that the gateway to the northeast along the banks of the Brahmaputra would get drinking water in every home and that there would be no artificial floods.
Both the ruling alliance and opposition parties are banking on the twin issues to make it to the victory post. For the first time in the GMC election, voters will be casting their votes on EVM hoping for an early resolution of their long-pending issues. Polling officials fanned out to their respective polling stations with EVMs and other election material from the Maniram Dewan Trade Centre here on Thursday.
Chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma urged voters to come out to vote in large numbers. “I am hopeful of a good voting percentage. Don’t neglect this election because it is a municipal corporation election,” said Sarma. While government offices in GMC areas will remain shut on polling day, Sarma appealed to the non-governmental organisations to give a chance to the voters to exercise their franchise.
In this election, a total of 757 polling stations have been set up out of which 80 will be conducted by women polling officials.
The BJP and AGP are fighting the election as an alliance. The AGP has fielded candidates in seven wards. While the Congress is contesting in 55 wards, the Aam Aadmi Party has 39 candidates in the fray. The Assam Jatiya Parishad has fielded candidates in 26 seats.