67 pc polling in Meghalaya, 75 pc in Nagaland till 4 pm; 1 dead in blast

Shillong: 75 per cent voters turnout was recorded in Nagaland while 67 per cent voters exercised their franchise in Meghalaya till 4 pm on Tuesday.

While the two states have a 60-member house each, voting was held for only 59 constituencies in both Nagaland and Meghalaya.

One person was killed and two others were injured after clash erupted between groups of Naga People's Front and Nationalist Democratic Progressive Party near a polling booth in Akuluto. The polling process was not disturbed.

Voting was delayed at Shillong model polling station North due to issues with the Electronic Voting Machine (EVM).

Security arrangements have been beefed up in the both the eastern states.

Meghalaya polls

Polling for the 60-member Meghalaya Assembly began amid tight security with over 18 lakh voters eligible to exercise their franchise in more than 3,000 polling stations across the state.

Voting will be held in 59 seats as the polling in Williamnagar in East Garo Hills district has been countermanded following the killing of NCP candidate Jonathane N Sangma in an IED blast on February 18.

Women voters in their colourful tribal attires were seen queueing up at polling stations across the state since morning and shops in the vicinity did brisk business.

The polls will be held till 4 am across the state. Meghalaya CEO F R Kharkongor said a total 106 companies of central armed police forces (CAPF) have been deployed along with state armed personnel and police especially in troubled Garo Hills region for peaceful polling in the state.

Tuesday's polling will decide the fate of 361 candidates including 31 women and 80 Independents, election office sources said, adding 18.09 lakh voters are eligible to exercise their franchise in 3,025 polling stations in the state.

For the first time, 67 all-women polling stations and 61 model polling stations were set up in the state.

Election in Meghalaya is quite a family affair. The political heavyweights, along with their spouses and scions, are fighting it out to retain power in Tuesday's Assembly elections in the hill state.

The Congress, which has been in power in Meghalaya for three straight terms, is seen as battling anti-incumbency.

Meghalaya Chief Minister Mukul Sangma, who is contesting from Ampati and Songsak seats, has three family members in the fray from the Garo Hills region.

Nagaland polls

Election to the 60-member Nagaland assembly began amid tight security as more than half of 2,156 polling stations have been declared critical.

With Nationalist Democratic People's Party(NDPP) chief Neiphiu Rio winning unopposed the Northern Angami-II seat, polling is being held in 59 seats.

Voting will continue till 4 pm, except in some polling stations of the interior districts where it will end at 3 pm, election office sources said.

Officials said many as 281 companies of the Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF), beside the state police force have been deployed throughout Nagaland to ensure peaceful polling.

Nagaland Chief Electoral Officer Abhijit Sinha said of the 2,156 polling stations in Nagaland, 1,100 have been declared critical, 530 vulnerable and 526 normal.

BJP, which is determined to expand its foot print in the northeast this time after Assam, Manipur and Arunachal Pradesh, is relying on its partner, the NDPP. In Nagaland,

BJP's hope hinges on its alliance partner NDPP which is contesting from 40 seats. The saffron party has fielded candidates from the remaining 20 seats.

The Congress, which has given three chief ministers to Nagaland since the state's inception in 1963, is contesting from only 18 seats - two less than the BJP.

The BJP which has witnessed victory in both Assam and Manipur is trying to make the region free of both Congress and the Left.

The results of the polls in the two states will be declared on March 3, along with that of Tripura.