People queue up to cast their vote in Jorhat during the first phase of the Mising council election. File picture

Dhemaji, Oct. 6: The state election commission is all set to conduct the second phase of the Mising Autonomous Council election tomorrow.

State election commissioner Biren Dutta told this correspondent that they did not apprehend any problem in conducting the poll.

He said the present inclement weather is unlikely to affect voter turnout in the elections. “All arrangements have been made for smooth conduct of the election,” he added.

The council, constituted by the Assam government by enacting an act in the Assembly in 1995, has been running on an ad-hoc basis without any election held so far.

Dispur’s delay in holding the poll had drawn flak from several Mising organisations, including the All Mising Senior Citizens’ Association, All Guwahati Mising Kebang and Mising Autonomous Demand Committee.

The organisations had alleged that in the absence of any elected council, funds meant for implementation of development programmes in the council areas for the past three financial years, had not been released.

The Tai Ahom Students Union has also been carrying out several agitation programmes demanding exclusion of non-Mising villages from the council area.

The first phase of the council poll was held last Thursday in 25 constituencies in Lakhimpur, Sonitpur, Golaghat, Jorhat, Sivasagar, Dibrugarh and Tinsukia districts and in the Jonai sub-division in Dhemaji district.

The second phase of poll will be held in nine constituencies in Sadar sub-division of Dhemaji district tomorrow. The constituencies are Silasuti, Muktier, Ujani Sissi, Namoni Sissi, Sissimukh, Jiadhal, Gogamukh, Nalbari and Mingmang.

Altogether 34 candidates are in the fray for tomorrow’s polls for which more than 97,000 voters will cast their ballots in 162 polling stations.

Though the state election commission ruled out that the inclement weather would affect the voter turnout, sources in Dhemaji district administration said if the rain continued, many voters might not come out to exercise their franchise.

“Many polling stations are situated in remote areas and it will be difficult to go to these stations in case of inclement weather,” the source said.

Election for two of the 36 seats in the 40-member council (four are nominated by the government) would be held after the Pujas.

“The poll for these two seats have been deferred for technical reasons,” a source said.

Dutta said the counting for the first and second phases would be held on Thursday.

He said the commission would try its best to declare the results of all the seats on the same day.