Over 77% voting in Meghalaya by-elections

The bypoll was marked by the engagement of 10 athletes as runners to relay messages between remote polling centres and the district election office.

Bhabok Hahshah, runner of 57-Pormawdar Polling Station, who ran 1.5 hours to meet his Sector Officer at Nongkulang on Thursday.

The by-election to two Meghalaya Assembly constituencies on Thursday recorded a voter turnout of more than 77%. The seats were Ranikor in South West Khasi Hills district and South Tura in West Garo Hills district.

“The turnout at Ranikor and South Tura was 82.1% and 72.87% respectively. Reports from a few centres are yet to come in, though,” Meghalaya’s chief electoral officer Frederick Roy Kharkongor said.

The by-election to Ranikor was necessitated after five-time winner Martin K Danggo resigned as a Congress MLA to join the National People’s Party (NPP), which rules the State in alliance with the BJP and other regional parties.

Mr. Dangoo is the NPP’s candidate in Ranikor. His rivals are Pius Marwein of United Democratic Party, P.N. Syiem of People’s Democratic Front and Jackiush Sangma of Congress.

The South Tura seat fell vacant after Agatha K. Sangma resigned to make space for brother and Chief Minister Conrad K. Sangma, who is an MP from Tura, one of two Lok Sabha seats in Meghalaya. He too has three rivals – Charlotte W. Momin of Congress and independents John Leslee K. Sangma and Chris Kabul A Sangma.

Runners in service

The bypoll was marked by the engagement of 10 athletes as runners to relay messages between remote polling centres and the district election office. Ranikor is known for producing long-distance runners such as national champion Binning Lyngkhoi, who is in the armed forces now.

Access roads and mobile phone network in at least five polling centres were damaged due to heavy rainfall, necessitating the appointment of these runners, South West Khasi Hills district’s deputy commissioner Isawanda Laloo said.

The runners took turns to relay messages covering an average 20 km one way. They made four trips at 9am, 11am, 1pm and 4pm to report polling trends and turnouts.

The day also saw the South West Khasi Hills launch a manhunt for an evangelist who had been preaching against voting and accepting welfare schemes. “I have asked the police to take action against this preacher trying to mislead the people by saying electoral politics is satanic,” the State’s Deputy Chief Minister Prestone Tynsong said.