A girl sleeps in a refugee camp in Goalpara on Tuesday. Picture by UB Photos

Dhubri, Feb. 19: Panchayat polls were held today in three gaon panchayats under South Salmara Mancachar subdivision of Dhubri district.

The elections were countermanded following submission of nomination papers by male candidates for seats reserved for women because of ignorance of officials.

An official source in the subdivision said that rural polls in Porarchar, Bandihana and Boyser Alga, held for the posts of president, passed off peacefully today.

The poll process has not yet been completed in Dhubri district as the total result could not be declared. Counting of four zilla parishad councils under the South Salmara Mancachar subdivision is yet to start. Counting was stopped following a mob attack on security forces and subsequent firing by forces leading to deaths of three persons on February 15.

Dhubri additional deputy commissioner Mohan Saikia said they had received instructions from the state election commissioner today. The date of counting for the four zilla parishad councils of South Salmara Mancachar subdivision was notified and fixed on February 26.

“Counting in three gaon panchayats where polling was held today will be taken up on February 26 and results will be declared subsequently,” Saikia added.

Dhubri district unit of the BJP, dissatisfied with re-counting of Agomoni ZPC, has decided to file a case in Gauhati High Court soon.

Dhubri district BJP president Dipak Kumar Saha while alleging gross anomalies in re-counting of votes, said the BJP candidate had clearly won by 154 votes but the officer-in-charge in the counting hall was not allowed to announce the results and beaten up by Congress goons inside the counting hall.

Saha alleged that BJP candidate Motiur Rahman was forcefully defeated by a narrow margin of 92 votes by Congress candidate Nazrul Haque in re-counting though Rahman won by 154 votes in the first round.

The total strength of Dhubri zilla parishad is 29 and 15 is the magic number to form the body. According to results declared, AIUDF secured 13 seats, Congress eight and AGP and BJP one each out of 23 ZPC seats. The result of Airkata ZPC was held back following trouble on February 15.

Fourteen AIUDF ZPC members won so far are reportedly whisked away by the party leaders to an undisclosed location to avoid horse-trading. AIUDF leaders in Dhubri are, however, light-lipped about it.