[caption id="attachment_255013" align="aligncenter" width="650"]
An elderly man being assisted to a polling station in Keirao Assembly Constituency in Imphal East district on Saturday, March 4. (NNN Photo)[/caption]
Final phase polling scheduled on March 8
Newmai News Network
Imphal | March 4
Polling was held in the 38 hill and valley constituencies out of 60 spread over six districts of Manipur in the first of its two-phase assembly elections on Saturday, where over 84 per cent voter turnout was recorded till 3 pm.
Officials said overall Manipur witnessed a peaceful polling under tight security, barring stray incidents of violence. Some cases of EVM glitches were reported which delayed polling in some polling stations.
Voters, including senior citizens and new voters stood in queues to exercise their franchise from 7 am to 3 pm.
As per initial estimates, the state witnessed a huge turnout of voters in the first phase of the assembly elections with over 80 per cent voters casting their ballots. The voting percentage went up further after the final calculations were officially declared by Chief Electoral Officer Vivek Kumar Dewangan during a press meet in his office, Lamphelpat.
Meanwhile, workers of two political parties clashed in Thangmeiband assembly constituency in which Congress workers reportedly attacked a candidate of People’s Resurgence and Justice Alliance (PRJA) who was reportedly injured. The Rights activist Irom Sharmila led PRJA is fighting the incumbent Congress and BJP in Thangmeiband constituency. The party is making its electoral debut in the polls.
The ‘Iron Lady of Manipur,’ Irom Sharmila will take on Congress Chief Minister Okram Ibobi Singh in his home turf Thoubal in the second and final phase of the polls slated to take place on March 8.
Meanwhile, both BJP and Congress parties are locked in a bitter fight. The saffron party is hoping to cash in from an anti-incumbency factor.
Only the Congress and BJP are locked in straight fight in three constituencies—Sekmai, Nambol and Mayang Imphal in the first round of the elections.
Manipur Legislative Assembly Speaker Th Lokeswar, a Congress nominee fielded from Khundrakpam appealed to the electorate to choose the “best candidates” who are capable of ensuring good governance.
A young new voter said, “We want a peaceful government free of bandh and blockades in Manipur.”
At stake was the political fate of 168 candidates, including seven women in the first phase of elections in the state where Congress has ruled for three straight terms. The state elections will be a big electoral test for the three-time Chief Minister Okram Ibobi Singh.
Interestingly, there is no Congress candidate in the Churachandpur and the Kangpokpi constituencies. The first round of polling will decide the fate of political bigwigs like former ministers Thounaojam Chaoba, Yumkham Erabot Singh, O Joy Singh, Nongthongbam Biren Singh, Dr Nimaichand Luwang and the lone former tribal woman MLA Nemcha Kipgen of BJP. She was fielded from Kangpokpi constituency.
For Congress, political bigwigs in the polls include Laishom Ibomcha, Khumukcham Joykishan, RK Anand, I Hemochandra, Thaonaojam Shyamkumar, Dr Ng Bijoy and Yengkhom Surchandra. Manipur’s political heavyweight and former Congress minister Phungzathang Tonsing, who had resigned from the grand old party, contested from Churachandpur constituency on the ticket of National People’s Party (NPP) in the first phase of the state polls. There are 11 independents in the fray.
Votes for Manipur’s two-phase elections will be counted on March 11 along with that of Goa, Punjab, Uttarkhand and Uttar Pradesh.
Election Commission orders FIR against BJP office-bearers, newspapers
Meanwhile, the Election Commission (EC) on Friday ordered an FIR against office-bearers of the BJP’s Manipur unit and certain newspapers for publishing advertisements without its approval.
In a letter to the Chief Electoral Officer of Manipur, the EC has ordered that the FIRs under Section 188 of IPC against be lodged against BJP state unit office-bearers and the newspapers, which carried the advertisements on Friday in contravention of its orders and violation of RP Act.
The EC had instructed all stakeholders to not publish any advertisements on 3 and 4 March without pre-screening and subsequent approval by state-level MCMC committee.
The newspapers which carried the advertisements are: Sangai Express (Manipuri and English editions), Poknapham, People’s Chronicle, Naharolgi, Thoudang, Imphal Free Press, Echel Express and Huiyen Lanpao. The poll panel has also sought a compliance report by Monday.
With agency inputs
