Guwahati: Election-bound Meghalaya began on Saturday with the dispatch of poll parties to 3,419 polling locations across 59 Assembly Constituencies.
According to officials, Elections for the Sohiong Assembly Constituency in East Khasi Hills (EKH) which has one seat have been called off.
The crew heading to Rongcheng Polling Station in South Garo Hills is the first voting party to leave early in the morning. They will have an 8-kilometer hike to make to the polling place from the last motorable location, they claimed.
59 of the 60 constituencies for the Meghalaya Assembly will hold elections on February 27 and the results will be tallied on March 2.
Significantly, voting in the Sohiong assembly constituency has been delayed since HDR Lyngdoh, a former state home minister and candidate for the seat on behalf of the United Democratic Party (UDP) has passed away.
Meghalaya’s state border with Assam and its international border with Bangladesh have been ordered sealed off by the Indian Election Commission till the day of the state’s upcoming elections. The results will be made public on March 2.
To guarantee free and fair elections in the state, precautions have been taken.
Speaking on the issue, State’s chief electoral officer F R Kharkong said, “All districts sharing the international border with Bangladesh have been asked to issue orders to seal. The movement of people in the border areas would also be restricted.”
According to the deputy commissioner of East Khasi Hills, there is “potential of law and order difficulties” leading to threat to human life, safety, and disruption of public peace if unrestricted movement between India and Bangladesh is permitted.
Bangladesh and Assam share borders with Meghalaya that are 445 km and 885 km long, respectively.