A voter turnout of 72.89% was recorded in South Tura and 85.89% in Ranikor till 5 pm during the bye-elections to the two Assembly seats in Meghalaya on Thursday, IANS reported. The elections is a race between the ruling National People’s Party and the Opposition Congress to become the single largest party.
The Congress has 20 seats in the state Assembly while the National People’s Party, which leads the Meghalaya Democratic Alliance government along with the Bharatiya Janata Party, has 19 seats.
Thursday’s elections will also decide if Conrad K Sangma will remain the chief minister of the state. Sangma is an MP representing the Tura Lok Sabha seat, but he needs to win the South Tura Assembly seat for a berth in the 60-member House. His sister and former Union minister Agatha K Sangma had vacated the seat for him.
The Ranikor bye-election was necessitated after the resignation of Martin M Danggo who won the seat earlier this year on a Congress ticket, reported The Indian Express. Danggo is now the National People’s Party candidate for the bye-poll.
“By and large the polls were held in a smooth manner,” Chief Electoral Officer Fredrick Roy Kharkongor told reporters.
Around four companies of Central armed forces have been deployed in both constituencies in view of the by-polls, reported IANS.
Sangma had concluded his election campaign on Tuesday, saying the Opposition will try to mislead voters with “all sort of stories”. “But voters of South Tura should remember that this election is not for one day or a week but an election to change the destiny of Tura, which has remained neglected,” Northeast Today quoted him as saying.
Showcause notice against Danggo’s son
The Meghalaya election department issued a showcause notice to Danggo’s son for allegedly violating the model code of conduct, PTI reported. Leaders of the United Democratic Party registered a verbal complaint with the election department after a video was shared widely on social media showing Danggo’s son searching a house at Photkroh village in South West Khasi Hills district without authorisation. Danggo’s son is an employee of the excise department in East Khasi Hills district.
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