 "A security personnel on guard as the voters wait in a queue to cast their votes at a polling booth, during the second phase of the Manipur Assembly elections (Photo: PTI)")
Over 40 per cent voter turnout was recorded till 12 p.m on Saturday in the second and final leg of the Manipur Assembly polls held in 22 of the 60 constituencies amid tight security, officials said.
Election and police officials said a firing incident was reported from Senapati district and activists of political parties clashed in Mao and Moreh, halting the polling briefly. However, details of these incidents are awaited.
Political parties are accusing each other of disturbing free and fair election process in many places.
Men, women and first time voters in large numbers queued up in front of the polling stations well before the voting started at 7 a.m. in six electoral districts.
Polling will continue till 4 p.m. without any break.
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According to the election officials, more than 20,000 Central paramilitary force troopers have been deployed in the second phase in Thoubal, Jiribam, Chandel, Ukhrul, Senapati and Tamenglong districts.
While the Thoubal district falls in the valley area, the other five electoral districts are in the mountainous areas bordering Assam and Nagaland, as well as Myanmar, making security forces maintain maximum vigil along both the international and the inter-state borders.
Manipur Chief Electoral Officer Rajesh Agrawal said that 4,988 personnel have been posted in 1,247 polling stations in the six electoral districts to conduct the exercise.
He said that in all, 8,38,730 voters, including 4,28,679 females and 31 transgenders, are eligible to exercise their franchise in the second phase to decide the electoral fate of 92 candidates, including two females.
Of the 92 candidates, 17 have criminal antecedents, the election official said.
The CEO said that like the first phase of elections on February 28, adequate arrangements have been made at all polling stations.
All polling stations have been sanitised, while Asha and Anganwadi workers have been engaged.
To avoid crowding, circles have been marked for the electorate. Besides, masks, gloves, face shield, thermal scanners, PPE kits have been provided to polling personnel. Voters, who are Covid positive or are under quarantine, will be allowed to vote at the last hour between 3 p.m. to 4 p.m.
To enable the fairer sex to participate in the election process vigorously, 223 of the polling stations are completely manned by women personnel, Agrawal said.
Meanwhile, re-polling is also being held on Saturday in 12 polling stations under the five Assembly constituencies in two districts -- Imphal East and Churachandpur.
The CEO said that the re-polling is being conducted as the miscreants have damaged Electronic Voting Machines during and after the first phase of polling on February 28.
Saturday's elections would decide the electoral fortunes of three-time (2002-2017) Chief Minister and 74-year-old veteran Congress leader Okram Ibobi Singh as well as several BJP ministers and sitting MLAs.
Okram Ibobi Singh is contesting from the Thoubal Assembly seat and is locked in a four-cornered contest against BJP's Leitanthem Basanta Singh, Janata Dal-United's Irom Chaoba Singh and Shiv Sena's Konsam Michael Singh.
The main opposition Congress did not field candidates in four of the 22 Assembly seats -- Chandel, Mao, Tadubi, Tamenglong -- and political pundits opined that Congress in the four seats is tacitly supporting the candidates of National People's Party (NPP), headed by Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad K. Sangma, which is an ally of the BJP in both Meghalaya and Manipur since 2017, but contesting separately in Manipur this time.
The BJP had bagged 21 seats in 2017 and came to power in the state for the first time, after stitching alliance with various parties including the NPP and the Naga People's Front (NPF). However, this time, all three are contesting separately and have put up candidates against each other.
The Congress, which governed the state for 15 consecutive years till 2017, had formed a Manipur Progressive Secular Alliance after forging a pre-poll alliance with four Left parties and Janata Dal-Secular.
The first phase of polling was held in 38 seats on February 28, when 88.63 per cent of 12,09,439 voters exercised their right to franchise. Counting of votes will be taken up on March 10.
--IANS
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