80 pc voting in Manipur; 71 pc in Nagaland, 66 pc in Meghalaya

About 80 per cent of the electorate on Wednesday voted in the elections to the Outer Manipur Lok Sabha seat in the hill districts. Reports from Churachandpur, Ukhrul, Senapati, Chandel and Tamenglong said that polling ended peacefully at 5 pm.

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Among the 10 candidates whose electoral fates were sealed in EVMs were sitting Congress MP Thangso Baite and the Bharatiya Janata Party’s Gangmumei Kamei.

Others included C Doungel (Nationalist Congress Party), Kim Gangte (Trinamool Congress), Soso Lorho (Naga People's Front), L Gangte (Janata Dal-United) and M K Zou (Aam Aadmi Party). Manipur has two parliamentary seats -- Inner Manipur in the valley districts and Outer Manipur in the hills districts. The election to the Inner Manipur seat would be held on

April 17.

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About 71 per cent votes were cast for the lone Nagaland parliamentary seat on Wednesday. Election Commission sources said voting figures of the far flung districts were yet to be known. The sources said Pughoboto district recorded the highest turnout of 93.5 per cent, while Peren had the least at 42.3 per cent.

The polling passed off peacefully across the state. It was, however, adjourned at Ladaigarh polling station number 1 under Tamlu sub-division of Longleng district which borders Assam and lies in the disputed area.

Longleng district returning officer Libanthung Lotha said polling had been adjourned as Assam police did not allow entry of polling officials to the designated polling station at the Ladaigarh government primary school and the people of the area agitated against the setting up of a standby polling station.

The poll, which ended at 4 pm, will decide the fate of Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio who is the candidate of his party Naga People's Front.

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Over 66 per cent voters exercised their franchise in the polls to two parliamentary seats in Meghalaya, which passed off peacefully. "The poll turn-out was recorded at 66 per cent till 5 pm when most of the polling was closed,” state Chief Election Officer P Naik told PTI.

The final polling figure would, however, be got only after information from remote polling stations arrived, he said. Polling was peaceful and there was no report of any untoward incident, state Director General of Police P J P Haaman said.Voting was held amid a boycott called by banned Hynniewtrep National Liberation Council in Khasi–Jaintia Hills region and threats of militant attacks in 188 polling  stations in the Garo Hills region.

Voters defied the 12-hour bandh called by the Hynniewtrep National Liberation Council and turned out in huge numbers wearing their traditional colourful dresses and waited in long queues at the polling stations where security was beefed up.

The fate of 10 candidates, including former Lok Sabha Speaker P A Sangma and lone woman candidate Ivory Shylla will be decided in today's poll. Over 4,000 EVMs equipped with special Braille-code buttons and having NOTA option were used for the first time in the state.

As many as 41 companies of paramilitary forces were deployed for the polls, election office sources said.

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About 55 per cent votes were cast on Wednesday for the two Lok Sabha seats and 49 out of the 60 assembly seats in Arunachal Pradesh, where the simultaneous polling was held peacefully.

The vote percentage will go up as reports from interior districts are yet to be received, Election Commission sources said. Long queues of voters were seen waiting outside the booths after the polling hour ended at 5 pm. The two parliamentary constituencies where polling was held are Western and Eastern constituencies.

A total 11 assembly seats have been won uncontested by the Congress. Among the winners is Chief Minister Nabam Tuki from Sagalee constituency.

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