By Our Reporter
SHILLONG, April 17: Intense campaigning for the two Lok Sabha constituencies – Shillong and Tura – by the political parties and the contesting candidates ended on Wednesday, 48 hours before polling on April 19.
The canvassing, low-key to start with, became aggressive as the days progressed. There were reports of clashes between supporters of rival parties, stone-pelting at party leaders, and filing of FIRs.
Several complaints of violations of the model code of conduct (MCC) were made to the Election Commission.
The campaign was marked by leaders of the political parties mocking each other on issues such as Jaitbynriew, development, corruption, and religion. The atmosphere was so charged that the government had to review the law-and-order situation despite the imposition of the MCC in the state.
The multi-cornered contest made it tough for the political pundits to guess the outcome of the elections.
On the last day of the campaigning, the political parties organised massive meetings and roadshows to showcase their strength.
While some candidates distributed tea, some leaders danced while others got emotional on stage to woo the voters.
Altogether 22,17,100 voters are expected to decide the fate of 10 candidates in the fray – six in Shillong and four in Tura.