Police officers stand guard as voters wait in lines to cast their votes at a polling station during a rerun voting at 11 polling stations, in Imphal, Manipur.
Credit: Reuters Photo
Guwahati: A turnout of 81.6 per cent was reported till 5 pm in 11 polling stations in conflict-hit Manipur, where re-polling was ordered following violence and booth capturing during the first phase of polling for Lok Sabha elections on April 19.
Officials said long queues of voters were seen since morning on Monday and 55.76 per cent voting was reported by 1 pm. By 3 pm, the poll percentage crossed the mark of 73.
The polling stations where re-polling was ordered are under Meitei-dominated Inner Manipur Lok Sabha constituency, where 79.41 per cent polling was registered on Friday. Firing by armed miscreants, destruction of EVMs by angry voters and booth capturing was reported during the polling, prompting the ECI to order re-polling.
The Opposition Congress, however, demanded re-polling in 47 polling stations alleging large scale malpractices. Six candidates are in the fray for Inner Manipur seat, but the fight is likely to be between Basanta Kumar Singh of BJP and a JNU-teacher-turned Congress candidate, Angomcha Bimol Akoijam.
Polling for 15 Assembly segments in Kuki-dominated areas under Outer Manipur Lok Sabha seat was also conducted on Friday, where 67.56 per cent polling was reported amid a boycott call by a Kuki organisation in Kangpokpi district. Polling in the remaining Assembly segments, where Nagas are mostly influential, are scheduled on April 26.
The ECI on Monday ordered repolling in eight stations in Arunachal Pradesh, where polling for both Assembly and Lok Sabha elections was conducted simultaneously on April 19. The re-polling will be conducted on April 24.