Militants, elephants fail to deter polling
TURA/ JOWAI/ NONGSTOIN/ NONGPOH: Barring blank firing by militants in remote South Garo Hills and wild elephants halting traffic in a border area of South West Garo Hills District, polling for the Tura Lok Sabha seat passed off peacefully with a healthy turnout by both young and old voters in the five districts of Garo Hills.
Election officials informed that the overall poll percentage for both Tura and Shillong constituencies was low to average till mid-day with many polling stations recording very high turnouts by late afternoon.
There were no reports of poll related violence from any part of Garo Hills except in remote Siju-Rongara Assembly constituency of South Garo Hills District where unidentified militants opened blank fire from a distance as polling was taking place during the morning hours.
“Polling was taking place in Tolegre polling station under Siju-Rongara when some militants fired in the air from a far distance. However, it failed to disrupt the polling process and voting went on smoothly,” informed District Election Official CP Gotmare, while speaking to The Shillong Times over phone from Baghmara. One section of armed BSF personnel that was providing security cover for the polling station was put on high alert following the blank fire incident.
This is the second incident of firing by militants in a span of two days in the same district. On Monday, a polling party that was moving with security personnel through Mindikgre area enroute to Rompa Asim, faced a similar scare when militants from a distance opened blank fire to make their presence felt.
Pachyderm menace was also experienced by election officials who were doing their rounds along the border belt in South West Garo Hills District on Wednesday morning.
A team of election officials led by a sector officer were travelling between Nokchi and Halchati border region when their movement was stalled by the presence of a herd of elephants that took control of the road and refused to budge.
Wildlife personnel had to be called in to evict the ‘squatters’ on the border road before the election team could proceed further.
“There was no injury to either man or beast,” said District Election Officer Ram Singh from Ampati.
There was a mixed response to voting during the early hours with some areas recording high turnouts while others witnessed lukewarm response. But by afternoon the percentage of voting had risen.
For West Garo Hills district polling was put at approximately 79.17 per cent, in East Garo Hills it was 66 per cent, in South West Garo Hills (Ampati) 85.38 per cent, in North Garo Hills (Resubelpara) 52.5 per cent and in remote South Garo Hills polling was put at 50 per cent.
“The percentage will be much higher but we have not been able to get a feedback from sector officers for 25 polling stations which are located in very remote areas,” informed CP Gotmare.
The voters’ turnout was Raksamgre (80.41%), Tikrikilla (79.42 %), Phulbari (80.70%), Rajabala (84.60%), Selsella (83.96%), Dadenggre (77.16%), North Tura (72.87%), South Tura (71.82%), Rangsakona (80.80%), Gambegre (79.18%) and Dalu (80.98%).
High turnout in twin districts of Jaintia Hills
The Lok Sabha Election passed off peacefully in both East and West Jaintia Hills districts with a high turnout of voters.
Polling Officers in West Jaintia Hills were yet to arrive at Jowai from different polling stations at the time of filing of the report while in East Jaintia Hills, some polling officers from Saipung area will be arriving in the district headquarter only on Thursday morning, following which the final voters’ turnout would be made official, district election officials said.
Till filling of this report, the overall percentage of voters’ turnout was recorded at 74 per cent in East Jaintia Hills and 64.40 per cent in West Jaintia Hills.
East Jaintia Hills Superintendent of Police MK Dkhar informed that the election was peaceful in the entire district.
Sources, however, informed that at one polling station each at Khliehriat and Ladrymbai a group of miscreants had tried to capture some votes through unfair means but police teams arrived at the two spots immediately and brought the situation under control.
Over 60 pc votes cast in West Khasi Hills
West Khasi Hills District recorded a total turnout of between 60-65 per cent in the five constituencies spread across the district.
A low turnout of voters was witnessed in Shyrkon polling station under Mawshynrut Assembly constituency with only 30 persons casting their votes out of the total of 362 voters enlisted under the polling station.
It may be reminded that recently, three NGOs of Maweit area had decided to boycott the Lok Sabha polls in the eight polling stations of the area. During the KHADC polls on February 24, only eight persons out of a total of 355 voters had cast their votes, following a similar boycott announcement.
The polling process in the entire district passed off peacefully without any untoward incident being recorded from anywhere despite a 12-hour HNLC bandh call.
High turnout in Ri Bhoi
In what may be termed as a far cry from the Assembly and the district council elections in the State, a low turnout of voters was seen in Ri Bhoi District on Wednesday with the overall percentage recorded at 75 per cent.
Overall, the election to the Shillong Parliamentary seat passed away peacefully and no untoward incident was reported in the district.