Election Commission orders re-polling in 11 Nagaland booths

The Election Commission on Thursday ordered a re-poll in 11 booths of eight assembly constituencies in Nagaland, two days after the state and neighbouring Meghalaya voted for new assemblies.

In his letter, seen by Hindustan Times, EC secretary Arvind Anand directed Nagaland chief electoral officer Abhijeet Sinha to get the voting done between 7am and 3pm on Friday.

Counting of votes in Nagaland, Meghalaya and Tripura, which voted on February 18, will be held on Saturday.

Without going into the reason for the re-poll, the EC letter said voting in 11 booths was declared void “on the basis of reports submitted and after taking all material circumstances into account”.

One person was killed and two injured in clashes between supporters of ruling Naga People’s Front and the BJP-Nationalist Democratic Progressive Party (NDPP) alliance in Akuluto seat on the polling day.

The booths where polling will be held again fall in Peren, Kohima Town, Chizami, Phek, Meluri, Tizit, Longkhim Chare and Pungro Kiphire.

Chief Minister TR Zeliang is the Naga People’s Front candidate from Peren. Independent Rekha Rose Dukru, one of the five women in fray, is contesting from Chizami.

A mob had damaged some EVMs at Meluri when polling was on. In Tizit, a village council member was injured when a crude bomb went off near the polling booth before polling had begun.

Nagaland recorded a turnout of 79.14%, much below the 90% recorded in 2013 election.

Re-polling was underway on Thursday at Kyndong Tuber booth in Raliang constituency of Meghalaya. The electronic voting machine had developed some problem on the voting day.