The first phase of polling for six Lok Sabha constituencies in Assam passed off peacefully with nearly 55 per cent of the voters turning up despite security concerns. However, repolling has been ordered in Kokrajhar following clashes in Basugaon after which the election official locked the booth and fled.Stray reports of intimidation and snatching of election materials were reported from Kokrajhar, Mangaldoi and Guwahati constituency, with the AGP and BJP pointing fingers at the ruling Congress. AGP general secretary Chandra Patowari said health minister Bhumidhar Barman led the ‘‘Congress hooligans’’ to threaten AGP supporters in some constituencies.Official sources said election equipment was snatched away in four booths in Mangaldoi constituency while BJP and AGP workers clashed in a few interior stations in the same constituency. Polling was stopped in Basugaon as polling agent Rameshwa Roy locked up the booth and ran away from the scene.
