91% turnout in Nagaland bypolls

A record voter turnout of over 91 per cent was recorded in the by-polls to Dimapur-I and Tuensang Sadar II Assembly constituencies in Nagaland on Thursday, the state election office said on Friday.

Barring some stray incidents in some polling stations at Dimapur-I and the destruction of an electronic voting machine at Tuensang Sadar II, the polling passed off peacefully.

An estimated 84.91 per cent out of 17,155 voters cast their ballots at 38 polling booths in Dimapur-I, where five candidates are contesting.

Polling station number ten in Supply Colony under Dimapur-I recorded 100 per cent voter turnout.

In the Tuensang Sadar II, 98.30 per cent of 18,304 voters exercised their franchise at 21 polling stations. Four candidates are in the fray from the constituency.

Deputy Commissioner of Tuensang Abhijit Sinha, who is also the returning officer, has recommended re-polling in the Chendang polling station under the Tuensang Sadar II constituency, following the destruction of an EVM by a mob, which entered the polling station and disrupted polling.

In Dimapur-I, an angry mob demonstrated against the presiding officer in polling station number 9. They also assaulted the photographer of a local daily.

Meanwhile, Nagaland Pradesh Congress Committee, in a letter to the Election Commission, had alleged that despite a ban imposed on plying vehicles in Dimapur-I constituency during the polling hours, a number of ministers, parliamentary secretaries and legislators, with police body guards, were visiting the polling booths.

The letter gave the details of the names of the visitors along with the number of polling stations.

The party has demanded re-polling at two polling stations of Dimapur-I, where they alleged that the polling was held under the directions of the Nagaland Peoples Front workers.