Assembly Elections 2023: Meghalaya, Nagaland Vote Today; Over 550 Candidates In Fray

New Delhi: The northeastern states of Meghalaya and Nagaland are voting in the assembly elections on Monday (February 27, 2023), where around 552 candidates are in the fray. Polling in both states began at 7 am and will continue till 4 pm, while the counting of votes will take place on March 2.

In Meghalaya, there are 60 assembly seats, but polling for the Sohiong constituency in East Khasi Hills district was adjourned due to the death of UDP candidate HDR Lyngdoh, while in Nagaland, over 13 lakh voters will decide the electoral fate of 183 candidates contesting in 59 out of a total of 60 seats as the Akuluto seat in Zunheboto district was won uncontested by Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) nominee and sitting MLA Kazheto Kinimi.

Glimpses of voters at a polling station in Meghalaya.

Voting has started across all polling stations in #Meghalaya

Voting is your Right & your Duty. Don’t forget to cast your valuable vote. #GoVote #AssemblyElections2023#ECI #MeghalayaElections2023 pic.twitter.com/2r2ZiFI6xg — Election Commission of India #SVEEP (@ECISVEEP) February 27, 2023

Over 19,000 polling officials have been deployed at 3,419 booths set up for the elections to the 59 assembly seats in Meghalaya, where a total of 369 candidates are contesting the polls.

Meghalaya Assembly Elections 2023

In Meghalaya, around 19,000 polling personnel and staff have been deployed for the election process. The Election Commission has also deployed 119 companies of Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) in the state.

Out of the total of 3,419 polling stations, 640 have been identified as 'vulnerable', 323 are 'critical' and 84 are identified as both.

In the state, 21,75,236 electorates, including 10.99 lakh women and 10.68 lakh men, will decide the fate of 369 candidates.

As many as 369 candidates are in the fray, of which, 36 are women and 44 Independents.

#Meghalaya polling parties trekking difficult terrains , crossing rivers and traversing across the double decker living root bridge towards their polling station with the objective of leaving no voter to be left behind.#ECI #AssemblyElections2023 #MeghalayaElections2023 pic.twitter.com/mVNDcjkTWi — Election Commission of India #SVEEP (@ECISVEEP) February 26, 2023

The ruling National People's Party is aiming to retain power, while the BJP and Mamata Banerjee's Trinamool Congress (TMC) are attempting to unseat the incumbent government.

The Congress and the BJP are contesting in 59 seats, while the NPP has put up nominees in 56 constituencies, the TMC in 57, and the United Democratic Party (UDP) in 46.

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The NPP, which has been leading the ruling alliance for the last five years, is fighting alone against former ally BJP, opposition TMC, and other regional parties such as the UDP and People's Democratic Front.

The Voice of the People's Party is contesting in 18 assembly constituencies in the Khasi Jaintia Hills region.

Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma is contesting from the South Tura constituency where he will lock horns with militant-turned-politician Bernard Marak, who was arrested last year and later released on bail on the charge of running a brothel in his farmhouse and being involved in human trafficking.

Nagaland Assembly Elections 2023

In Nagaland, the electors include 6,47,523 male and 6,49,876 female voters, who are eligible to exercise their franchise across 2,291 polling stations.

Women polling teams moving to their assigned polling stations after collecting the EVMs & polling material ahead of #NagalandElections2023 #ECI pic.twitter.com/xs53Bi9DO2 — Election Commission of India #SVEEP (@ECISVEEP) February 26, 2023

The ruling Nationalist Democratic Progressive Party (NDPP) and the BJP are fighting the polls on a 40:20 seat-sharing basis. 

The Congress, which ruled the state till 2003 and does not have any member in the current House, has fielded 23 candidates.

The Naga People's Front (NPF), which won 26 seats in the last assembly polls, has fielded candidates in 22 seats, but one of them withdrew, leaving 21 in the fray.

The National People's Party (NPP) and Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) have fielded 12 candidates each.

Newbie in Nagaland politics -- Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) -- has put up as many as 16 candidates, while the Republican Party of India (Athawale) has fielded eight aspirants.

A total of 19 nominees will contest as Independents.

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The NDPP had allied with the saffron party and formed a government in the northeastern state in 2018, with backing from the JD(U) and an Independent. 

In 2021, the NPF joined the ruling NDPP-led alliance to form an all-party government named United Democratic Alliance (UDA).

The NDPP-BJP combine is seeking a mandate for the second term, with Neiphiu Rio as the chief ministerial candidate of the alliance.

Four-time Chief Minister and NDPP leader Neiphiu Rio will lock horns with greenhorn Seyievilie Sachu of the Congress in the Northern Angami-II seat.