Stage set for LS elections in Nagaland, one-fourth of total polling booths marked vulnerable

Kohima: All arrangements have been made for the smooth conduct of elections on Friday for the lone Lok Sabha in Nagaland where one-fourth of the total polling booths have been marked as critical and vulnerable, an official said.

Over 13.25 lakh voters on Friday will decide the fate of three candidates - Congress nominee S Supongmeren Jamir, Nationalist Democratic Progressive Party (NDPP) and People's Democratic Alliance (PDA) candidate Chumben Murry and Independent Hayithung Tungoe Lotha in the fray.

Of the total 2,342 polling booths, 588 have been marked as critical and vulnerable, the official said.

BJP President J P Nadda, Nagaland Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio, Deputy Chief Ministers T R Zeliang and Y Patton addressed several rallies in support of their candidate.

Congress leaders Jairam Ramesh and Randeep Singh Surjewala along with other AICC leaders have campaigned for Congress candidate Jamir.

Polling will start at 7 am and will end at 4 pm, an official said.

A total of 13,25,383 electorates will be eligible to exercise their franchise, including more than 19,999 first-time voters, 22,140 senior citizens above 85 years and 6,707 people with disabilities, the official said.

Nagaland has more female electors at 6,64,460 voters as against 6,60,923 male voters, he said.

Altogether 180 polling parties for the 2,342 polling stations have left for their polling booths, officials said.

There are 506 all-women polling stations while four booths will be managed by persons with disabilities.

An official said 1,097 polling stations will have webcasting facility and 82 will be under offline videography.

Besides 48 companies of CAPF, another 50 companies of the state police, Indian Reserve Battalions, Special Task Force and 600 Home Guards personnel and Village guards will be deployed during the polling exercise, a senior police officer said.

Officials said that while the Eastern Nagaland Peoples' Organisation (ENPO) has declared abstention from voting, polling parties have been dispatched for the 738 polling stations in the six districts – Mon, Tuensang, Longleng, Kiphire, Shamator and Noklak – of the area.

In the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, NDPP's Tokheho Yepthomi had defeated Congress candidate K L Chishi by 13,000 votes.