Over 85 pc voter turnout recorded in Meghalaya assembly polls

Shillong: Over 85.17 per cent of the 21.6 lakh voters in Meghalaya cast their votes on Monday and polling was peaceful, Chief Electoral Officer FR Kharkongor said.

The number is expected to rise as polling continued for several hours after the scheduled closing time.
The ruling National People’s Party (NPP) is vying to retain power while the BJP, Trinamool Congress and other regional parties are trying to bring about a change of government in the northeastern state.

Congress and BJP are contesting on 59 seats, while NPP has fielded candidates on 56 seats, TMC on 57 seats and UDP on 46 seats.
Despite having a 60-member assembly in Meghalaya, polling has been postponed after the death of a candidate in Sohiong constituency.

“At 5 pm, over 75 per cent turnout was recorded. In 200 different polling stations across four districts, voting is likely to continue till 9 pm,” Kharkongor said.

“The polling is being conducted in a free and fair manner. No untoward incident has been reported,” he said.
The CEO said that in a few polling booths EVM malfunctions were reported but they were fixed later.

Voting took place in 3,419 polling stations, of which 640 have been classified as ‘dangerous’ and 323 as ‘critical’.
“More than 19,000 polling personnel and 119 companies of CAPF have been deployed across the state. They are supported by state police personnel to maintain law and order,” the CEO said.

NPP supremo and Chief Minister Conrad K. Sangma is contesting from South Tura constituency where he is pitted against militant-turned-BJP leader Bernard Marak.
Opposition leader and TMC leader Mukul Sangma is contesting from the two seats of Songsak and Tikrikilla while his wife D D Shira is also in the fray.
The CEO also told reporters that an MLA from Assam had made a statement that “residents of Assam” would not be allowed to vote in six police stations in Mawhati constituency along the disputed border.
However, the matter was resolved after both the state governments took notice of it, he said.

Enforcement agencies seized 20 times more drugs, cash and freebies this year than in 2018.
Since January 18, more than Rs 74.18 crore have been seized while the seized drugs were worth Rs 33 crore and cash worth Rs 8.71 crore. He said that the seizure made in 2018 was only Rs 1.15 crore.