A Correspondent
Shillong: The bye-poll to the Gambegre Assembly seat will be held on Wednesday and the votes will be counted on November 23. Polling will begin at 7am and conclude at 5pm across more than 51 polling stations spread across the constituency.
There are six contenders for the seat. They included Chief Minister Conrad Sangma’s wife Mehtab Chandee Sangma (NPP), Jingjang M. Marak (Congress), Sadhiarani M. Sangma (Trinamool Congress), Bernard N. Marak (BJP) and two independent candidates – Sengkrabirth Marak and Jerry A. Sangma.
The bye-election for Gambegre constituency was necessitated after former MLA Saleng A. Sangma representing this constituency was elected to the Lok Sabha. Gambegre has a total of 32,254 voters. These include 16,331 male voters and 15,923 female voters.
According to State election officials, there are three service voters, 993 young voters, 64 senior citizen voters and 100 voters with physical disabilities. Of the 51 polling stations, 31 are identified as critical polling stations.
Meanwhile, one Jostview D. Sangma lodged FIR against Boldamgre MDC, Stevie Marak, for physical assault, intimidation with a firearm, and violation of Election Commission Rules on November 121, 2024 in Jembragre village.
Jostview alleged that Marak physically assaulted him, brandished a firearm in a threatening manner, and intimidated members of his locality, all while they were conducting neighbourhood watch to safeguard the community from any attempts to bribe voters by representatives of political parties.
He also stated in the FIR that this incident not only involved physical aggression but also the use of a firearm to intimidate, which escalates the severity of the offence and puts public safety at risk. According to the individual per the Election Commission’s guidelines, candidates, election agents, and party functionaries are strictly prohibited from holding any public meetings or engaging in door-to-door campaigning during the “silent period” starting from 4 pm on November 11.
“Stevie Marak’s actions clearly violated these rules set forth by the Election Commission. Furthermore, under the Arms Act, all gun license holders are required to deposit their weapons at the jurisdictional police station before elections to prevent misuse. By retaining and brandishing his firearm during this prohibited period, Marak has not only defied the laws established by the Election Commission but also breached the Arms Act regulations,” Jostview said.
He also urged authorities that his arms license be immediately revoked, and appropriate legal action be taken to address these infringements.
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