Meghalaya and Nagaland are set for Assembly elections on Monday with poll officials in both the states expecting high turnouts.
The polling will be conducted between 7am and 4pm.
Both Meghalaya and Nagaland Assembly have 60 members each. But elections will be conducted for 59 seats each in both the states. In Nagaland, one BJP candidate was declared elected uncontested after his opponents withdrew their nominations while in Meghalaya, elections for Sohiong Assembly constituency was postponed following the death of HDR Lyngdoh, former Home Minister and a candidate of United Democratic Party (UDP), recently.
More eyes will be on Meghalaya, where the main battle is likely to be between National People's Party (NPP) and Trinamool Congress. The NPP leads the Meghalaya Democratic Alliance (MDA) government while TMC has, for the first time, emerged as a significant player in Meghalaya.
The NPP, contesting in 57 seats, is eyeing absolute majority on its own. BJP and Congress, on the other hand, are contesting all 60 seats. With 46 candidates in the fray, UDP is another key player in the Meghalaya battle. The regional party had won six seats and played a key role in the formation of the government in 2018. All 12 parties are contesting the elections on their own.
In Nagaland, the ruling NDPP-BJP alliance is believed to be comparatively well-placed as the two parties are battling with a 40:20 seat sharing arrangement. The Naga People's Front (NPF) and Congress are two other major parties but they are contesting only in 22 and 22 seats respectively.
BJP leader and Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma recently said the Opposition party seems to have conceded defeat to BJP-NDPP alliance by not fielding candidates in 31 constituencies, the number required for formation of government in the state.
Poll officials said elaborate security arrangements have been made in view of the long problem of militancy in both the states. Meghalaya's border with Bangladesh has been sealed till counting on March 2. They expected high turnouts on Monday as more than 85 per cent polling has been registered in the last few elections.
Polling for the 60-member Tripura Assembly was conducted on February 16. The results of elections in all three states will be announced together on March 2.
Meghalaya:
Total voters: 21.64 lakh
Polling stations: 3,482
Total candidates: 375
Polling in 2018: 86.65%
Big faces: CM Conrad Sangma (NPP), Mukul Sangma of TMC, Bernard N. Marak (BJP).
Nagaland:
Voters: 13.17 lakh
Polling stations: 3,328
Number of candidates: 183
Polling in 2018: 85.62%
Big faces: CM Neiphiu Rio and Y Patton of BJP.