The Hindu : Front Page : 83 p.c. vote in Manipur second phase Assembly poll

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Thursday, Feb 15, 2007
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83 p.c. vote in Manipur second phase Assembly poll

Iboyaima Laithangbam

Braving rain, people line up at booths; voting time extended

— Photo: PTI

RAIN NO DETERRENT: Voters at a polling station on the second phase of Manipur Assembly elections in Imphal on Wednesday.

IMPHAL: About 83 per cent polling was recorded in the second phase of the Manipur Assembly elections on Wednesday. There was no untoward incident. Though polling was to have been completed at 3.30 p.m. officials extended the time as hundreds of voters could not exercise their franchise. In 29 constituencies in Imphal East, Imphal West and Bishnupur districts, 155 candidates are in the fray, eight of them women.

Snag in EVMs

Braving rain, voters queued up before polling stations from early in the morning. Voting began at 7 a.m. and by 10 a.m. there was 30 per cent polling. By noon it increased to 50 per cent. As electronic voting machines developed snags and as elderly persons were unfamiliar with the EVMs, hundreds of voters were waiting in queues even after the official closing time at 3.30 p.m. Hence, the time extension.

The polling station at the City Primary School in the Sagolband constituency was flooded and shifted to a nearby location. Though it kept raining throughout the voting period, there was no interruption in the remaining 826 polling stations.

The Congress is the only party contesting all 29 seats. The Manipur People's Party has fielded candidates in 25 constituencies. About 150 companies of the Border Security Force and Central Reserve Police Force were deployed near the polling stations.

Insurgents nabbed

The Imphal West district police nabbed three insurgents of the People's Revolutionary Party of Kangleipak (PREPAK) and seized two automatic rifles, one bomb and ammunition from them. They had come to the district from the mountains "to extort money" from the candidates, the police said.

Final phase on February 23

The first phase of elections was held on February 8 in 19 constituencies in Senapati, Thoubal and Ukhrul districts. In the final phase, the remaining 12 constituencies in the hill districts of Tamenglong, Chandel and Churachandpur will go to the polls on February 23. There some Naga tribal Independents are sponsored by the United Naga Council, which is seeking integration of Naga-inhabited areas of Manipur with Nagaland.

The Congress candidate in the Chandel constituency was forced to "retire" from the contest.

T. Ranjit, Joint Chief Electoral Officer, told The Hindu that all available Central security forces would be sent to the hill districts on election duty.

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