Nagaland, Meghalaya Elections 2023: 82% Voter Turnout in Nagaland, 74% in Meghalaya

Voting is currently underway in two of the Northeastern states- Meghalaya and Nagaland.

Over 82.42 percent of Nagaland’s 13.16 lakh voters cast their votes in the Assembly Polls in Nagaland which took place on Monday. The Polls were held in 59 of the 60 constituencies amid tight security.

According to election officials, voting was largely peaceful across the northeastern state except some stray incidents of violence, including stone pelting and minor clashes. No major untoward incident has been reported so far.

In Akuk village under the Bhandari Assembly constituency in Wokha district, supporters of a candidate attacked the rival party workers using sharp-edged weapons in which three persons were injured.

Voting started at 7 am in 2,291 polling stations, manned by 11,500 staff, and ended at 4 pm.

Chief Electoral Officer, V Shashank Shekhar said that around 13.16 lakh voters, including 6,55,144 women, were slated to decide the electoral chances of 183 candidates, including four women. In the 2018 Assembly polls, 190 candidates, including five women, had contested the elections.

In Meghalaya, till 5 pm, the voter turnout was 74.32 percent.

In Meghalaya, where 369 candidates are contesting the elections, the ruling National People’s Party (NPP), claiming to have provided good governance is hopeful of crossing the halfway mark of 30. This year the NPP is not only against its allies, chiefly the BJP in 56 seats but is also facing rival Congress and the new challenger, Trinamool Congress (TMC). Polling for the Sohiong constituency in East Khasi Hills district was adjourned due to the death of UDP candidate H.D.R. Lyngdoh.

More than 21.6 lakh voters will decide the fate of 369 candidates in Meghalaya. The counting of votes will take place on March 2.3,419 booths have been set up in Meghalaya out of which 640 have been categorised as 'vulnerable' and 323 as 'critical'.

A poll of exit polls showed that Chief Minister Conrad Sangma's National People's Party (NPP) will be the single largest party in Meghalaya.

Trinamool Congress, the party of West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, will win the second highest seats while the BJP will finish a distant third in the race to the 60-seat assembly, showed the exit polls.

The BJP had ended its alliance with NPP before contesting the polls this year and contested all 60 seats alone.

Also Read: Nagaland Polls: NPP, NPF Supporters Engage in Clash