Manipur elections: Voting for first phase concludes, 78.03 per cent voter turnout recorded

Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Rajesh Agrawal said polling was held peacefully except for a few incidents of EVM damage and preventive firing in the air by security personnel in a few constituencies.

Women holding their identification cards, wait in a queue to cast their vote during the first phase of Manipur Assembly Elections, in Manipur. (PTI Photo)

Voting for the first phase of assembly polls in Manipur concluded on Monday without any major incident. In this phase, voting was held in 1,721 polling stations across 38 Assembly constituencies. The north-eastern state recorded 78.03 per cent voter turnout till 5pm, said poll officials.

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Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Rajesh Agrawal said polling was held peacefully except for a few incidents of EVM damage and preventive firing in the air by security personnel in a few constituencies.

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In Imphal East, 76.64 per cent voter turnout was recorded while Imphal West recorded 82.19 per cent. Bishnupur recorded 73.44 per cent, Churachandpur 74.45 per cent and Kangpokpi recorded 82.19 per cent.

However, the final polling percentage will be available after the return of the polling parties, said the Manipur CEO.

Agrawal said that incidents of miscreants damaging EVMs have been reported in seven polling stations under Saikul, Saitu, Thanlon, Henglep and Singhat constituencies. FIRs have been registered in all these cases, he added.

He further said that polling resumed in two polling stations in Singhat and Saikul after the damaged EVMs were replaced.

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A security personnel and a polling official died in Tipaimukh constituency in Pherzawl district. The police said the security personnel, a havildar of the 8th Manipur Rifles, was found dead with a bullet wound inside his barrack in the early hours of Monday.

The havildar might have died in accidental firing from his service rifle, said the police. A case has been registered. The polling official, however, died of a stroke.

The scrutiny of Form 17A and other documents will be conducted by the returning officers in the presence of general observers on March 1, said the CEO. He added that decisions on repolling, if any, shall be decided accordingly.

As many as 12,09,439 voters including 5,80,607 male, 6,28,657 female and 175 transgender persons were eligible to vote in the first phase.

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A total of 381 polling stations were entirely manned by all-women polling personnel. In addition, four constituencies – Singjamei, Yaiskul, Wangkhei and Churachandpur – were manned by all-women polling teams, and one polling station in Saikot was entirely manned by PwD polling personnel.

The second phase of polling will be held on March 5 in 22 constituencies. The counting of votes will be conducted on March 10.

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