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Jan. 4 poll for Karbi council  - Members of disbanded UPDS can join fray

A STAFF REPORTER

Guwahati, Dec. 15: Battlelines were drawn for the Karbi Anglong Autonomous Council election, with the Assam State Election Commission today announcing January 4 as the polling date. The announcement coincided with the United People's Democratic Solidarity (UPDS) dissolving itself in accordance with the memorandum of settlement it signed with the government on November 25, thus allowing its members to participate in the elections if they wished. However, at a time when almost all the major elections in the country are being conducted through electronic voting machines (EVMs), the poll panel prepared to take the voters down memory lane, deciding to use ballot papers in the election to the autonomous council. "We do not have any specific reason for using ballot papers. I must say that we are not allergic to EVMs but we are using ballot papers simply because ballot boxes are readily available with us," state election commissioner Biren Dutta said. "I don't see any problem with ballot papers since it is used in many developed nations for conducting polls," he said. Announcing the election schedule, Dutta said the last date for filing of nomi- nation papers will be December 22 (between 11am and 3pm). The scrutiny of the nomination papers will start from 3pm on December 22 and if required, it will continue till the following day. December 26 has been fixed as the last date for withdrawal of candidature and the final list of candidates will be published the same evening. Repolling, if necessary, will be held on January 4, while counting will be on January 9. Results will be declared the same day. "With the issue of election notification, the model code of conduct has come into force in Karbi Anglong from today," Dutta said. The state election commissioner said the maximum poll expenditure of candi-dates has been increased to Rs 2 lakh from the existing Rs 60,000. "Keeping in mind the inflation and the rising prices, besides increase in the limits for expenditure incurred by candidates contesting Lok Sabha and Assembly elections, the poll expenditure limit has also been raised for this election," he said. Of the 26 constituencies, 10 are under Diphu sub-division, nine under Hamren sub-division and seven under Bokajan sub-division. This election is likely to be a keenly contested one between the ruling Congress and the Peoples' Alliance for Peace Agreement (PAPA) — a conglomeration of various organisations. Several leaders of the UPDS are likely to contest under this banner. The PAPA today said the government should have delayed the district council election to give some time to the former UPDS members who want to join politics. At a news conference at Diphu, PAPA leaders alleged that there was "unwanted haste" on the part of the government to announce the election date and that it would send a wrong signal to the just-disbanded UPDS members. The Congress, however, said it was the right time for the party to face the elections. "It is the best time and we are well prepared to come to power for the third consecutive term," said Karbi Anglong district Congress secretary Ratul Teron.