Majority of the recognized national and state political parties in Assam on Tuesday urged the Election Commission of India (ECI) to conduct the upcoming state Assembly elections in either a single phase or a maximum of two phases. The request was made during a review meeting in Guwahati on poll preparedness in the state held by a visiting ECI delegation led by Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar. Among national parties, the Aam Aadmi Party, Bharatiya Janata Party, Communist Party of India (Marxist) and Indian National Congress attended the meeting.
State parties, including the All-India United Democratic Front, Asom Gana Parishad, Bodoland People’s Front and the United People’s Party Liberal, also held discussions with the Commission. According to reports, a majority of parties requested that the polls be conducted “in a single phase or a maximum of two phases”. They also asked the ECI schedule the election dates keeping in mind the Bohag Bihu festival in the state.
The ECI delegation, which arrived in Guwahati on Monday afternoon, will also attend a review meeting where district election officers, magistrates and superintendents of police are scheduled to brief the panel on election-related arrangements and ground-level readiness in the state. It will also hold talks with the chief secretary, DGP, nodal and principal officers of enforcement agencies, chief electoral officer, besides senior officers of concerned departments at the hotel on February 18 to assess security, logistics and administrative preparations.
