The voting for Assembly elections began amid tight security in Nagaland and Meghalaya on Monday morning. Besides, byelections will also be held in five states, including Tamil Nadu, Arunachal Pradesh, West Bengal and Jharkhand on Monday.
Both Nagaland and Meghalaya are witnessing a multi-pronged fight.
While the Nationalist Democratic Progressive Party (NDPP) and BJP alliance is seeking a mandate for the second term in Nagaland, the saffron party is facing elections alone in Meghalaya after a fallout with the ruling NPP led by Conrad Sangma.
Nagaland
The NDPP-BJP is hoping to keep the power in the state an the focus is on Neiphiu Rio, the chief ministerial candidate of the alliance. As per the seat sharing agreement, the NDPP has fielded candidates on 40 seats and BJP on 20.
As for the Congress, the party has fielded 23 aspirants in the state. The party which was in power in the state till 2003 did not win a single seat in the current Assembly.
The Naga People's Front (NPF), which won 26 seats in the last assembly polls, has fielded candidates in 22 seats. However, just two days before the end of campaigning, the party's candidate from 4 Ghaspani-I assembly constituency, Vikato Aye, had withdrawn from the elections. NPF leader Kuzholuzo Nienu has declared he is open to post-poll arrangements with other parties and candidates.
The ruling front has highlighted the government's development agendas and progressive policies, backed by the BJP in the Centre, to seek votes. Rio has also express confidence that the ongoing Naga peace talks will reach a "meaningful convergence." He has also promised a resolution of the decades old Naga political issue.
Over 13 lakh voters decide the electoral fate of 183 candidates in the state. The nominees are contesting in 59 out of 60 seats, as the Akuluto seat in Zunheboto district was won uncontested by BJP nominee and sitting MLA Kazheto Kinimi. Polling will continue till 4 pm, while counting of votes will be on March 2.
Meghalaya
In Meghalaya, the contest is tighter since both the Congress and the BJP are contesting in 59 seats. Also in the fray is the TMC which has fileded candidates in 57 constituencies.
The ruling NPP, led by Conrad Sangma, is fighting the polls alone this time, with 56 candidates in fray. The United Democratic Party has also fielded 46 candidates.
While the BJP is aiming to improve its tally this time, fighting the elections on its own after running the government for the last five years as part of the NPP-led Meghalaya Democratic Alliance (MDA), the Congress, which lost all of its MLAs to other parties in the run-up to the elections, is hopeful of reversing its fortunes with the fresh faces it fielded for the poll battle.
The state witnessed intense campaigning with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah, party chief JP Nadda and Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma leading the BJP's campaign in the state.
Senior party leader Rahul Gandhi addressed a rally in Shillong, promising to protect the culture, languages and traditions of the northeastern state.
As many as 21.6 lakh voters are eligible to seal the electoral fate of 369 candidates in the state. Voting is underway at 3,419 polling stations, of which 640 have been categorised as vulnerable' and 323 as critical', Chief Electoral Officer F R Kharkongor said.
Thirty-six of the 369 candidates are women, with the largest number of 10 women candidates being put up by the Congress.
Bypolls
The voting for byelectins to Erode East constituency seat in Tamil Nadu, Lumla in Arunachal Pradesh and Sagardighi in West Bengal also began on Monday. The Ramgarh assembly seat of Jharkhand will also see byelections.
