Guwahati, March 3: Leading political parties of the state led by the ruling Congress and the Opposition AGP today asked the Election Commission to reschedule the first phase of Lok Sabha polls, slated for April 16, as it would coincide with Rongali Bihu.

Assam will have a two-phase poll, the first on April 16 and the second on April 23. The first phase will see Silchar, Karimganj and Diphu constituencies going to the hustings.

AGP spokesperson Apurba Bhattacharjee told The Telegraph here that in a memorandum to the poll panel this evening, the party has sought reconsideration of the first phase of the poll as it coincided with the main festival of the state.

“A four-member AGP team comprising our president Chandra Mohan Patowary and senior leaders Phani Bhusan Choudhury, Birendra Prasad Baishya and Arun Sarma, submitted the memorandum. We have pointed out that if the date is not reviewed, the poll percentage will be adversely affected,” he said.

PCC spokesperson Rajesh Joshi said the ruling Congress had also requested the Election Commission to reschedule the poll.

“We had earlier requested the poll panel to hold the polls before Bihu. Today, we have again requested it to reschedule the first phase because of Bihu. Since it is an autonomous body we can only request,” he said.

The constituencies going to polls in the second phase are Dibrugarh, Jorhat, Lakhimpur, Kaliabor, Nagaon, Tezpur, Mangoldoi, Guwahati, Kokrajhar, Barpeta and Dhubri.

The Assam unit of the Nationalist Congress Party also expressed similar sentiments. State NCP general secretary Akshay Kumar Rajkhowa said the party had faxed a protest letter to the poll panel seeking a review in the interest of government employees and security personnel who would have to do poll duty during the state’s biggest festival.

“We have requested the panel to schedule any other day after April 16 for the poll,” Rajkhowa said.

BJP spokesperson Charan Deka said the party has moved the EC through the chief electoral office, Assam, seeking postponement of the first phase to the fourth week of April.

Assam United Democratic Front has also requested rescheduling of the first phase of polls. The party’s working president H.R.A. Choudhury said it had formally requested the EC to defer the first phase election date of April 16 to any day after April 20.

The state CPM too favoured a rescheduling of the first phase of the election.

In a related development, the BJP has worked out a mutually agreeable formula with the AGP in Assam. Sources said the 8-6 seat-sharing formula between the two parties will be announced tomorrow, our special correspondent from New Delhi adds.

Though there is still some confusion about the Guwahati seat, BJP leaders reveal the two sides had reached an agreement on the remaining 13 seats.

The decision on Guwahati will be taken before the BJP leaders L.K. Advani and Rajnath Singh announce the deal in the presence of AGP leaders in New Delhi tomorrow.