The election office is awaiting data to be received from remote places in the Garo Hills and East Jaintia Hills districts, he said.

"Over 13.5 lakh of the 18.09 lakh voters in Meghalaya have cast their votes. This means around 74.62 per cent polling was recorded," he said.

The final figure could go up after the data of the far-flung areas are added.

Kharkongor said re-polling could be held in one booth of Raliang constituency in West Jaintia Hills district after polling was stopped due to certain EVM related problems.

A formal report from the district election officer is awaited, he said.

Two more polling stations in South Garo Hills and South West Garo Hills districts may also go for re-poll as the officials there forgot to delete the mock poll data from the machines, Kharkongor said.

The CEO said, of the 3025 EVMs that were used, only 28 malfunctioned.

Polling for 59 of the 60 Assembly seats was held in the north-eastern state. Polling was countermanded in the Williamnagar constituency due to the killing of NCP candidate Jonathone N Sangma on February 18.

The ruling Congress, which won 29 seats in the 2013 elections, is fighting the BJP that hopes to unseat the Mukul Sangma government.

The Congress that has been ruling the state for the last 10 years, has fielded 59 candidates. The chief minister is contesting from two seats.

Although the BJP drew a blank in 2013, it has put up candidates in 47 seats, including four MLAs of the current House who joined the party last month.

Buoyed by the formation of governments in Assam, Manipur and Arunachal Pradesh, the BJP is making a determined bid to expand its footprint in the north-east.

The United Democratic Party having eight members in the outgoing House and the Hills State People's Democratic Party having four MLAs forged a pre-poll alliance and are contesting in 45 seats.

The other major parties contesting the polls are the National People's Party, the Nationalist Congress Party and the People's Democratic Front, a new entrant. 

Nagaland 

Nagaland recorded around 75 per cent voter turnout in the assembly election today, amid sporadic violence which led to the death of a person in Zunheboto district.

Polling was held in 59 out of the total 60 constituencies as Neiphiu Rio, the three-time former chief minister and Nationalist Democratic Progressive Party candidate, was elected unopposed in Northern Angami-II seat.

State chief electoral officer Abhijit Sinha said the polling percentage was on the basis of voting till 4.30 pm and the figure was likely to go up as voting was completed in 1,500 out of the 2056 booths across the state till then.

In 2013 state assembly polls, voter turnout was 90.19 per cent.

Sinha said in the violence at Akuluto constituency in Zunheboto district, which witnessed a straight contest between parliamentary secretary and NPF candidate K Khekaho Assumi and BJP candidate Kazheto Kinimi, in the morning claimed one life and left two injured.

The clash was reportedly between supporters of the ruling Naga Peoples' Front and the BJP. Police fired blank rounds to disperse the party workers and voting resumed after the situation was brought under control, Sinha said.

According to the chief electoral officer, a village council member received minor injury in a leg in a blast at a room adjacent to a polling station in Tizit village under Tizit constituency in Mon district.

Polling in the booth was, however, unaffected, he said, adding some arrests were made in both cases of violence.

Sinha said voting could not be held at Ladigarh polling station under Tamlu Assembly constituency in Longleng district along the Nagaland-Assam border due to the tension there.

The decision of holding polls there will be decided by the election commission, he said.

Nagaland Chief Minister TR Zeliang and his family cast their vote at GMS-Sector-B in Jalukie Town of Peren district.

Voting could not be held in a polling station at Suthotsdu village in Phek district as a mob barged in and damaged the EVM. In Tizit constituency, some people snatched EVMs, while a VVPAT machine in a Zangtham polling booth was also snatched. The EVM was retrieved but the VVPAT has not been found yet, Sinha said.

He said four EVMs and 95 VVPAT machines, which malfunctioned, were replace.

As many as 11,76,432 voters were eligible to exercise their franchise in 2,156 polling stations in the state.

Of the 195 candidates in the fray, five were women. NPF fielded 58 candidates, Congress 18, BJP 20, NDPP 39, NPP 25, NCP 6, JD(U) 13, AAP 3, LJP 2 for the polls, while 11 were Independent candidates.

Officials said besides the state police force, 281 companies of the Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF), were deployed across Nagaland to ensure peaceful polling.

State chief electoral officer said of the 2,156 polling stations in the state, 1,100 were declared as critical, 530 vulnerable and 526 normal.

Counting of votes would be held on March 3.