85,000 voters voted in Meghalaya bye-elections: CEO

Out of a total 1.02 lakh eligible voters, Rajabala recorded the highest voter turnout at 90.63% followed by Mawphlang

Meghalaya Chief Electoral officer F R Kharkongor Sunday said over 85,000 voters exercised their adult suffrage in bye-elections to three Legislative Assembly Constituencies in Meghalaya.

Out of a total 1.02 lakh eligible voters, Rajabala recorded the highest voter turnout at 90.63 per cent followed by Mawphlang LAC with 76.90 per cent turnout and Mawryngkneng LAC with 75.06 per cent, he said.

Although there was pre-poll violence in the run up to the by-election for the Rajabala constituency seat in Meghalaya’s West Garo Hills district, the conduct of the poll yesterday was by and large peaceful without any untoward incident, the CEO said.

Section 144 CrPC was imposed to avoid untoward incidents in Rajabala and strict Covid-19 protocols were strictly adhered to avoid spread of the Coronavirus, he said.

The bye-elections were necessitated by the deaths of two Congress legislators – David A Nongrum from Mawryngkneng and Dr Azad Zaman from Rajabala - and of Independent MLA of Mawphlang SK Sunn.

In 2018, the polling per centage in Mawryngkneng was 85.50 per cent while it was 88.68 per cent in Mawphlang and 93.39 per cent in Rajabala.

Mawryngkneng has 60 polling stations and a total of 36,751 eligible voters while Mawphlang with 50 polling stations has 33,194 voters. Rajabala with 58 polling stations has 32,750 voters. A total of 13 candidates are in the fray for the bypolls to the three seats and five candidates each are contesting from Mawryngkneng and Rajabala LACs while 3 are in fray in Mawphlang LAC.

In Mawryngkneng, KHADC chairman and Sohryngkham MDC Pyniaid Sing Syiem from the ruling National People’s Party (NPP) is contesting against the opposition Congress nominee Highlander Kharmalki and three Independent candidates - Esron Marwein, Arbiangkam Kharsohmat and Norbert Marboh. SK Sunn’s son Eugeneson Lyngdoh, a former national footballer, is contesting on the United Democratic Party (UDP) ticket.

He is pitched against two seasoned politicians – former MLA Kennedy C Khyriem of the Congress and four-time MDC Lamphrang Blah of the NPP – from the Mawphlang constituency.

As far as Rajabala constituency is concerned, Dr Zaman’s wife Hashina Yasmin Mondal is contesting to retain the Congress seat against former legislator and current sitting MDC of Batabari Ashahel D Shira from UDP and three others – MD Abdus Saleh from NPP, Kingston B Marak (BJP) and Carla R Sangma (Independent).

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