Meghalaya polls: Campaigning ends, voting on Monday

Shillong, Feb 25 (IANS) The hustle and bustle of over a month-long election campaign for the February 27 Meghalaya Assembly poll ended at 4 p.m. on Saturday.

Voting would be held in 59 of the 60 Assembly constituencies in 12 districts under a heavy security cover on Monday.

The polling would not be held in Sohiong Assembly Constituency in East Khasi Hills district following the death of United Democratic Party (UDP) candidate H. Donkupar Roy Lyngdoh, who died on February 20 due to illness.

Meghalaya Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) F.R. Kharkongor said that movement of polling parties to the 3419 polling stations across 59 Assembly constituencies have started on Saturday.

In South Garo Hills, the first polling party of the Rongcheng polling stations left early morning on Saturday as they had to trek 8 kms to reach the polling station from the last motorable point, the CEO said.

Kharkongor said that a total of 369 candidates, including 36 women, are contesting the February 27 Assembly elections. In the 2018 Assembly polls, 329 candidates, including 32 women, had fought the elections.

Election Officials said that a large number of Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF), state armed and state police personnel have taken up positions in all the poll bound constituencies.

With the direction of the Election Commission, the 443 km India-Bangladesh border with Meghalaya has been sealed to prevent any kind of illegal cross border movement before and during the elections. In all 13 political parties, including four having national status -- BJP, Congress, National People's Party (NPP) and Trinamool Congress -- are contesting the election.

The BJP and the Congress have put up 60 candidates each, while main opposition Trinamool Congress nominated 56 candidates, Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma led NPP fielded 57 candidates, United Democratic Party (UDP) 46, Hill State People's Democratic Party (HSPDP) 11, People's Democratic Front 9, Gana Suraksha Party one, Garo National Council two, Janata Dal (United) three, Republican Party of India two, ARepublican Party of India (Athawale) six, Voice of the People Party 18. In all 44 independent candidates are also contesting the elections. The HSPDP is contesting mainly in assembly seats of Ri-Bhoi, East Khasi Hills and West Khasi Hill districts.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed two election rallies in Shillong and Tura while Union Home Minister Amit Shah and BJP president J.P. Nadda addressed many election rallies in different parts of the state.

Several Union Ministers, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma and many BJP leaders and MPs from outside the state campaigned for the party.

West Bengal Chief Minister and Trinamool Congress supremo Mamata Banerjee, and the party's national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee also addressed election rallies in Meghalaya. Congress' leader Rahul Gandhi, Jairam Ramesh, Sachin Pilot, Salman Khurshid Gaurav Gogoi, AICC National Spokesperson Alka Lamba, and several other party leaders, former union minister and ex-MP of the party campaigned for the party candidates. Votes will be counted on March 2.