Nagaland: Tapi By-Polls See Smooth Polling; 60% Voter Turnout by 11 AM

KOHIMA: The by-election for the Tapi assembly seat in Nagaland's Mon district is progressing seamlessly, with 60% of the over 15,000 eligible voters having cast their ballots by 11 AM on Tuesday, according to an official report.

Joint Chief Electoral Officer Awa Lorin assured that no untoward incidents had been reported from any of the 23 polling stations established for the election. "The polling process is underway smoothly without any report of untoward incidents from the 23 polling stations, while 60.40% out of the 15,256 electors have cast their votes by 11 AM," Lorin stated.

The polling, which commenced at 7 AM, is scheduled to continue until 4 PM. To ensure transparency, webcasting is being conducted in all 23 polling stations, with the voting process directly monitored by Nagaland's Chief Electoral Officer and the Election Commission of India (ECI), as confirmed by Returning Officer Rongsenmenla Jamir.

A total of 15,256 voters, comprising 7,788 men and 7,468 women, are eligible to exercise their franchise in this election. The by-election was necessitated by the unfortunate passing of Nationalist Democratic Progressive Party (NDPP) MLA Noke Wangnao on August 28.

The by-election contenders include the ruling NDPP candidate Wangpang Konyak and Congress nominee Wanglem Konyak. The crucial counting of votes is scheduled for December 3, where the fate of Tapi's next representative will be decided.

Simultaneously, the Election Commission of India reported a voter turnout of 32.68% at 11 AM as Mizoram's state assembly elections commenced at 7 AM in the Northeastern region.

Earlier in the day, the voter participation rate in Mizoram stood at 12.80% by 9 AM. Voting for the 40-member state assembly is scheduled to continue until 3 PM, with the vote counting slated for December 3. Mizoram, known for its high literacy rate, has historically witnessed substantial voter turnout. In the 2018 elections, the state achieved a remarkable 84.9% voter participation, with a total of 6,28,608 votes cast.

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