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An elderly woman shows her finger marked with indelible ink after casting vote during the first phase of the general elections, at a polling station in Ri-Bhoi district of Meghalaya on Thursday. (PTI)[/caption]
Shillong, April 11 (IANS): Out of the total 19,14,795 voters in the state, an estimated 67.03 per cent exercised their franchise on Thursday to elect the two new members to the Lok Sabha from Shillong and Tura parliamentary seats in Meghalaya.
"An estimated 63.56 per cent voter turnout has been recorded in the Shillong parliamentary constituency and 75.60 per cent in the Tura seat," said Chief Electoral Officer Frederick Roy Kharkongor.
Kharkongor said the final figures would be available later as polling officials from 644 booths are yet to send their voter turnouts.
In the 2014 Lok Sabha polls, the voter turnout was around 62 per cent in Shillong and around 70 per cent in Tura.
"Polling has been conducted in a free, fair and peaceful manner, barring the violation of model code of conduct by Sanbor Shullai, the Bharatiya Janata Party's candidate in Shillong, against a presiding officer," Kharkongor said.
Police have registered a case against Shullai, who also happens to be a sitting member of the Meghalaya Assembly, based on an FIR filed by the presiding officer of the polling booth in Sankardev Vidyapith L.P School.
Kharkongor said there were reports of snags in some VVPAT machines, which were replaced.
There are six candidates in the fray for the Shillong seat, but the main contest is between sitting Congress MP Vincent H. Pala, United Democratic Party's (UDP) Jemino Mawthoh and the BJP's Sanbor Shullai.
"I am confident that majority of the electors will vote in my favour because of their love for the Congress party," Pala told IANS after casting his vote at Lamyrsiang village in East Jaintia Hills district.
Pala is seeking re-election for a third consecutive term.
All eyes will be on the Tura seat where former Chief Minister Mukul Sangma of the Congress is confident defeating former Union Minister and National People's Party (NPP) nominee Agatha Sangma and state BJP Vice President Rikman G. Momin.
"We are happy, satisfied and confident of winning comfortably in both Tura and Shillong," Mukul Sangma told IANS over phone.
Meanwhile, Chief Minister Conrad Sangma expressed confidence that the candidates of the ruling Meghalaya Democratic Alliance (MDA) will win both the seats.
The MDA has fielded NPP nominee Agatha Sangma from Tura and former UDP legislator Jemino Mawthoh from Shillong.
"We are confident that both Agatha Sangma and Jemino Mawthoh will win the elections as people have reposed their faith in the government," Conrad told IANS.
Both Mawthoh and Agatha Sangma, the Chief Minister's sister and the youngest daughter of late Lok Sabha Speaker PA Sangma, are contesting on the symbols of their own parties -- the UDP and the NPP, respectively.
"We are confident that NPP will emerge victorious. Elections are always tough but we have all worked hard and believe that our hard work will pay off," Agatha Sangma said.
Meanwhile, 82 per cent of the 31,717 electors cast their votes to elect one of the four candidates to the Meghalaya Assembly from the Selsella constituency.
The by-election was necessitated by the death of Congress legislator Clement Marak on October 8, 2018.
Marak's widdow June Eliana R Marak is contesting the polls in Selsella against Ferlin CA Sangma of the NPP, Sayeedullah Nongrum of the UDP and the BJP's Adorsho Sangma.
