SHILLONG, FEB 24: Elections to the Jaintia Hills Autonomous District Council (JHADC) on Monday morning was marred with violence as a mob barged and destroyed an Electronic Voting Machine (EVM) at the Umladang polling station under the 3-Nartiang constituency in West Jaintia Hills district forcing the authority to stop the voting.
Polling in the Umladang polling station is likely to be held on Wednesday.
The incident took place at around 11.30 am when unidentified miscreants entered the Umladang polling station and destroyed the EVM machine forcing the authority to stop the voting process.
Meghalaya District Council Affairs commissioner & secretary Jopthiaw Lyngdoh said that the incident has vitiated the atmosphere forcing the authority to stop the polling in this particular polling station falling under the 3 Nartiang constituencies.
Lyngdoh informed that the police are trying to locate the miscreants who entered the polling stations and destroyed the EVM. He said, “ The police are trying to ascertain to which candidates the supporters belongs and the identity of those who destroyed the EVM machine.”
Lyngdoh said because of the incident the voting in this particular polling station had to be stopped. He informed the West Jaintia Hills deputy commissioner, who is also the returning officer, will submit a report on the incident and accordingly the date for re-poll will be decided.
West Jaintia hills SP Hubert Lyngdoh informed that the “mob” who had entered the polling station is not from the Umladang village but had come from outside. He said police have not been able to identify the miscreants till now but are investigating into the whole affairs to identify the miscreants.
Meanwhile the West Jaintia hills deputy commissioner Peter Dkhar informed that he would be recommending of holding a repoll in the Umladang polling station on Wednesday.
Barring this incident the polling to the JHADC and the Khasi Hills Autonomous District Council (KHADC) is reportedly peaceful but slow. In the East Khasi hills district the voters’ turnout till 11. 30 am was as low as 18.20 percent only.
In the St. Edmund College polling station under the Malki –Laitumkhrah constituency only 155 out of the 783 voters turnout to cast their vote till 11 am.
In the Rynjah ITI polling station under the Nongthymmai constituency only 182 out of the 358 voters turn out to vote till 12.30 noon. The polling scenario is almost similar in all the polling stations in and around Shillong city.
The authority, however, is hoping that voting will pick up in late afternoon.- By Our Reporter
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