SHILLONG: Polling for two Lok Sabha seats in Meghalaya proceeded smoothly on Friday, with the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) of Meghalaya, BDR Tiwari, announcing a total voter turnout of 69.91% across the state.
In the Shillong constituency, the voter turnout stood at 70.26%, while Tura recorded a polling of 69.39%.
Compared to the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, there was a slight decrease in the overall percentage, with a drop of 1.52%.
However, Shillong witnessed a notable increase of 4.79% in turnout compared to the previous election.
Amidst the peaceful elections, the Election Commission of India (ECI) took action against a Hynñiewtrep A’chik National Movement (HANM) leader for circulating a picture of an EVM allegedly showing his vote for NPP candidate Dr Ampareen Lyngdoh.
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According to emerging reports, Lamphrang Kharbani, while sharing the picture on social media, urged people to vote for the NPP candidate.
During the polling process, Tiwari also reported that some Voter Verified Paper Audit Trails (VVPATs) encountered technical issues and were promptly replaced.
A total of 55 VVPATs, constituting 1.57% of the total, were replaced, along with 21 Balloting Units and 22 Controlling Units due to technical glitches, the CEO’s office informed.
Earlier in the day, voting started around 6 am with all major polling booths recording a good number of footfalls.
Chief Minister and NPP president, Conrad Sangma drove himself to Walbakgre polling station in Tura, as early as 6:30 am.
In the electoral race for the Shillong Lok Sabha seat, currently held by Vincent H Pala of the Congress, six candidates are competing. Pala is seeking re-election for the fourth consecutive term.
Meanwhile, for the Tura Lok Sabha seat, which is currently held by Agatha K Sangma of the National People’s Party (NPP), four candidates are in the fray.
