The Hindu             20.06.2013

Guwahati Municipal polls record 49 per cent polling

Special Correspondent

Only 49 per cent of the total voters in the city cast their votes on Wednesday in the election to the Guwahati Municipal Corporation that was held after a gap of ten years. The last election to corporation was held in 2003.

The polling was held in 862 polling stations to elect 31 Ward Councilors and 90 Area Sabha members. Altogether 172 candidates of different political parties contested the polls. Some stood as independents were in the fray for 31 ward councilor seats. There were 356 candidates for 90 Area Sabha members. The counting of votes will be taken up on June 24. Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi expressed confidence that the Congress would sweep the polls. The Corporation has been functioning without an elected body since 2008 when the council elected in 2003 was dissolved few months before the completion of the five-year term after some elected members had quit.

Issues like water-logging, scarcity of safe drinking water, poor road condition and other civic amenities dominated the campaigning.