83.36% turnout in Nagaland Assembly polls till 5 pm: Election Commission

Police say gunfire was reported in two of the three 'incidents of concern’ that took place on the voting day.

Guwahati | February 27, 2023 10:16 PM IST

3 min read

Voters standing in a queue show their ID cards before casting their votes for the Nagaland Assembly election at a polling booth in Dimapur. (PTI)

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With a few scattered incidents of violence in different parts of the state during the Assembly elections, Nagaland recorded a tentative voter turnout of 83.36 per cent on Monday.

According to chief electoral officer V Shashank Shekhar, the number—based on inputs from returning officers across the state as of 5pm—is not final and will be further updated. Since the BJP’s Kazheto Kinimi has already been elected unopposed from the Akuluto constituency, voters cast their votes in 2,291 polling stations across 59 Assembly constituencies.

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Nagaland routinely records a high voter turnout: in 2018, it was 84.27 per cent; in 2013, it was 90.57 per cent; and in 2008, it was 86.19 per cent. The three constituencies that saw the highest turnout were Pughoboto (92.11 per cent), Tseminyu (90.88 per cent) and Mon (90.67 per cent).

Inspector-general of police (range) Limasunep Jamir said that “incidents of concern” took place in three places, adding that gunfire was reported in two of the incidents.

“In Akuk village in the 40 Bhandari constituency in Wokha district, around 6.30am, there were some skirmishes followed by some gunshots. Police had to resort to firing; they fired a few rounds in the air and brought the situation under control. Two persons were injured, but not critically. They are in the Bhandari hospital but out of danger,” he said.

Jamir said that in a separate incident, in Monyakshu village in Mon, supporters of two candidates pelted stones at each other. He said that an ITBP jawan and a police official were injured in the incident.

Some incidents of firing were reported from the Atoizu constituency at 10.30am, 11.30am and 1pm. “The situation was brought under control. It seems to have been a diversionary tactic, not directed at any particular person. So it caused no loss or injury of life or property,” the police officer said.

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The Congress, however, alleged that multiple polling booths had been captured in the Aolengden and Tizit constituencies. Party state in-charge Ajoy Kumar submitted a memorandum to the Election Commission requesting repolling in these booths.

Shekhar said the commission would request inputs on all complaints from the districts before deciding whether to hold repolling.

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Election Commission Nagaland Nagaland Polls 2023