Guwahati, Feb. 12: Primaries — Rahul Gandhi’s pilot project to elect Congress candidates for 15 Lok Sabha constituencies across the country — kicked off here today with over 800 party workers electing Manash Bora, son of Assam cabinet minister Akon Bora as a candidate to contest in the Gauhati Lok Sabha constituency.

Bora, who had contested along with six other party leaders, received 410 votes of 827 votes cast today.

Juri Sarma Bordoloi came second with 215 votes followed by Bobbeeta Sharma (114.5), Pankaj Borbora (114), Munmi Dutta (75), Bolin Bordoloi (50) and Anupam Bordoloi (11).

Nirman Me Sajedar, Bijay Me Bhagidaar (partners in development and victory) read the billboard that stood behind the contesting candidates who sat on a podium set up for a convention organised as part of the election at Rudra Singha Sports Complex here.

Congress leaders and supporters, who cast their votes sat opposite them, many of whom interacted with their candidates.

After an hour of discussion, Assam PCC president Bhubaneswar Kalita led the party voters and cast the first vote.

Guwahati, along with 15 other constituencies in nine states, were selected for the pilot project after the last AICC session in New Delhi.

The party could not conduct election in the Calcutta (North) constituency on February 7, as there was only one candidate for the seat.

The rest of the seats where election will be conducted under the primaries-2014 include two seats each in Gujarat, Delhi, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh.

AICC secretary and Congress in-charge in Assam, Abinash Pandey, said the entire process of today’s election was video recorded and was broadcast to Congress headquarters based on Rahul Gandhi’s instructions.

Though some feel the experiment will bring in new faces, a strong section within the party feels that if the high command goes by the outcome of the voting they can bid goodbye to the Guwahati seat held by BJP national vice-president Bijoya Chakraborty.

“No matter whosoever is finally shortlisted from the panel, it will be a no-show against the BJP candidate, who has very strong roots and has been working for sometime in the field. Those in the panel are fairly new compared to her,” a PCC insider said.

Sources pointed out that there were 18 candidates in the fray before the primaries but almost all senior leaders withdrew from the race fearing defeat at the hands of “very young and determined” aspirants with a few having the money to splurge.

The last Congressman to win the Guwahati seat was Kirip Chaliha in 2004.