IMPHAL, Sept 13 MNS NNN: The 4th Panchayat polls in four valley districts of Manipur recorded a heavy turnout today with 85 per cent voters exercising their franchise but violence marred some polling stations.
Poll violence was witnessed in some parts of the four districts when two persons sustained injuries and an incident of booth capturing was also reported during voting. No voter was turned up in five different polling stations.
Voting was started from 7 am and ended at 4 pm. Till 1:30 pm, around 50 per cent voting was registered but 85 per cent turnout was recorded at the end of the polling.
Repoll is likely in Thanga Part-I under Thanga constituency in Bishnupur district where two rival groups of workers of two Zilla Parishad candidates engaged in a disorderly fight which impeded the voting process. Repolls are also expected at Kameng polling station in Seijang Gram Panchayat in Imphal East and another polling station in Thoubal district where polling did not take place following violence.
At the start of polling at a booth at Chanam Sandrok LP School under Irilbung Police Station in Imphal East, two workers were hurt when supporters of two rival candidates engaged in a violent standoff.
Takshellambam Kameshwor, 55, a resident of Chanam Sandrok Mamang Leikai and Thiyam Nabakumar, 47, a resident of Sandrok Awang Leikai sustained injuries in the heads when one Huidrom Dhamendra, brother of Pradhan Huidrom Suresh attacked them with the butt of a double barrel gun.
Meanwhile, reports said not a single voter was turned up in five different polling stations in the four districts. In the meantime, unidentified miscreants have captured a ballot box from a polling booth at Wangjing Khunou in Thoubal district.
A total of 6,51,817–3,18,122 male voters and 6,51,817 female voters– were officially declared valid for the Panchayat polls. In all, 9096 polling personnel were used at 1,516 polling stations spread across the four districts. During the polls, 5,000 security personnel including state police, Manipur Rifles, India Reserve Battalion, Village Defence Force and Home Guards were deployed to ensure free and fair polls.
The polls were held to elect 60 Zilla Parishad members, 161 Pradhans and 1,514 Gram Panchayat members from four valley districts of Imphal East including ADC Jiribam, Imphal West, Thoubal and Bishnupur.
In the Panchayat polls, 231 candidates are contesting for the 60 Zilla Parishad seats, 595 candidates for 161 seats for Pradhans and 3794 candidates are in the fray for 1514 seats of Gram Panchayat members.
The Government this time had opted secret ballot papers replacing Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) in the Panchayat Polls. EVMs were used in the last state general elections.
In Imphal East ADC Jiribam, 10 polling stations were officially declared as hyper- sensitive, 19 as sensitive and 23 as normal out of 57 polling stations, while in respect of Sawombung, Porompat and Keirao Bitra of the district having 433 polling stations, 77 had been declared as hyper-sensitive, 218 as sensitive and 138 as normal.
In respect of Imphal West’s Lamshang, Patsoi and Wangoi which had a total number of 327 polling stations, eight were declared as hyper-sensentive, 48 as sensitive and 271 as normal.
For Thoubal district’s Lilong, Thoubal and Kakching, all the 480 polling booth were declared hyper-sensetive. For Bishnupur district’s Nambol, Bishnupur and Moirang which had 219 polling stations in total, no official statement was released regarding sensitivity of the polling booths.
Counting of votes fo the Panchayat polls will take place on September 17 .
Read more / Original news source: http://manipur-mail.com/panchayat-elections-held/
