Nagaland and Meghalaya polls : 38 and 41 per cent voting respectively till 11 am
Kohima/Shillong, Feb 27 (IBNS) : About 38 per cent of the voters in Nagland and 41 per cent in Meghalaya exercised their franchise till 11 am on as polling was underway amid tight security in these two north-eastern states on Tuesday, reports said.
In Meghalaya, Governor Ganga Prasad and Chief Minister Mukul Sangma have already cast their votes.
Sangma cast his vote at a polling station in Ampati from where he is contesting. He is also contesting from a second constituency, Songsak.
Media reports quoted Meghalaya Pradesh Congress Committee (MPCC) working president James Lyngdoh as saying that the Congress is happy with the way polling is being conducted so far in the state with respect to security arrangements, voter turnout.
Nagaland's Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Abhijit Sinha said a blast was reported from a polling booth at Tizit village in Mon district about an hour before the voting started.
"A handmade crude bomb was lobbed at the polling booth at around 5:45 am, in which one village council member, Yanlon, suffered minor injuries in the leg," CNN-News 18 quoted him as saying.
However, polling is continuing in the booth.
The run-up to the polls in Nagaland saw several twists and turns — with the Core Committee of Nagaland Tribal Hohos and Civil Organisations (CCNTHCO) demanding a solution to the vexed Naga problem before the elections.
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and NDPP which have forged a pre-poll alliance in Nagaland are contesting in 20 and 40 assembly seats, respectively. However, the ruling Naga People's Front, which was an ally of the BJP at the Centre and Manipur is fighting the elections alone.
The key battle in both the states are between the Congress, BJP and several regional parties.
Both states have a 60-member House each, but voting will be held for 59 constituencies in both.
The BJP, which is already in power in Assam, Manipur and Arunachal Pradesh, hopes to expand its frontier further by capturing power in Meghalaya and Nagaland with the help of regional outfits.
Polling in both states will end at 4pm.
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