Meghalaya records highest voter turnout at 71.37%

Syllad | The Rising MeghalayaApril 12, 2019

SHILLONG: The state has recorded the highest number of voter turnout with 71.37 percent electorate came out to cast their vote for electing their new representatives to the two Lok Sabha seats of Shillong and Tura during the elections which concluded yesterday.

“The final voter turnout recorded at 71.37 per cent is the highest in term of stand alone Lok Sabha elections in the state,” state’s chief electoral officer Fredrick Roy Kharkongor told reporters here on Friday.

The polling percentage has increased by 2.53 per cent compared to the last 2014 Lok Sabha polls at 68.48 per cent.

Kharkongor however said the figure was the second highest in the history of the state as the higest voter turnout was at 74.38 per cent in term of simultaneous elections, which were held in the year 1998.

Over 13.64 lakh of 19.14 lakh voters which include 7.11 lakh women and 6.53 lakh men who have exercised their franchise during the polling on Thursday.

The voting percent of female voters was registered at 73.68 per cent which is much higher than the male voters at 69.03 per cent, he said.

Giving a break up constituency wise, Kharkongor informed that the voter turnout in the Tura parliamentary constituency was at 81.20 per cent while only 65.49 per cent in the Shillong parliamentary constituency.

The assembly segment under the Shillong constituency which registered the highest turnout of voters was Sutnga-Saipung in East Jaintia Hills District with 74.26 per cent while lowest was at Mawlai with only 59.32 per cent.

As for the Tura constituency, Selsella has recorded the highest number of voter turnout at 92.20 per cent while the lowest is South Tura with only 71.97 per cent. South Tura is the constituency represented by the chief minister Conrad K Sangma.

Meanwhile, the chief electoral officer informed that there are adequate number of forces to guard all the strong rooms in the 13 centres of the eleven district headquarters and two civil sub divisions of Mairang and Sohra.

“The strong rooms will be guarded by 13 platoons after the state was allowed to retain 5 companies of Central Armed Police Force (CAPF),” he said. Meanwhile, counting will be held on May 23.