SHILLONG, Jan 11: A total of 21,61,129 people, comprising 10,92,326 female voters and 10,68,801 male voters, will exercise their franchise in the 2023 Meghalaya Assembly elections.
Informing this, Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) FR Kharkongor said, “Women voters are more than the male voters. There is also a net addition of 2.36 per cent from the last draft roll.”
He also informed more than 81,000 new voters will be casting their votes in the upcoming elections.
As per the latest figures, Mawlai constituency is the biggest constituency in the state while Dalu is the smallest constituency.
Whilst Mawlai has a total of 49,979 electorates (26,888 female and 23,091 male voters), Dalu has a total of 22,007 electorates (11,072 female and 10,935 male voters).
Meanwhile, the CEO has also informed that the total number of polling stations in poll-bound Meghalaya has also been increased.
“We had a total of 3,083 polling stations in the previous elections. Now, the number of polling stations has increased to 3,482,” Kharkongor informed.
Out of the 12 districts in Meghalaya, seven districts, the CEO informed, share borders with Assam.
“The total number of polling stations bordering Assam in the seven districts include Ri Bhoi (27), West Garo Hills (69), North Garo Hills (70), West Jaintia Hills (20), South West Garo Hills (9)and East Jaintia Hills (2),” he said.
Informing that one would have to travel through Assam to reach many polling stations, the CEO informed that the Deputy Commissioners (DCs) and Superintendents of Police (SPs) have already had a meeting with their counterparts from Assam on safe passage of polling parties, transportation of electronic voting machines (EVMs) through Assam road, monitoring of law and order situation, management of trouble-mongers, among others.
ECI delegation’s visit
Meanwhile, it is pertinent to note that a 16-member team of the Election Commission of India (ECI), led by Chief Election Commissioner (CEO) Rajiv Kumar, will arrive in the city on Thursday.
The delegation will hold a review meeting with the CEO, officials of the Election department, the deputy commissioners and superintendents of police of all districts.
The ECI team will also hold a meeting with the chief secretary, the director-general of police and senior government officials on Friday.
Kharkongor had earlier said that 30 companies of Central Armed Parliamentary Forces (CAPFs) have already arrived in the state to assist in the conduct of the elections.
According to the CEO, Meghalaya has sought deployment of 119 companies of CAPFs for the Assembly polls.
