High turn out of 90.89 pc marks Konthoujam by-poll
Amid tight security, voters exercise their rights, no untoward incidents reported
Source: The Sangai Express
Imphal, February 14 2011:
Voting for Konthoujam by-election held today was by and large peaceful and it was marked by a high percentage of voter turn out.
According to the office of the Chief Electoral Officer, the total number of voters in the Constituency is 24,601 while the total votes polled was 22360, bringing the percentage turn out to a high of 90.89 .
However, for the first time in the electoral history of Manipur, a voter whose name was still included in the voter list was denied the voting right because she had married and shifted to another Constituency.
At polling station number 18/20 (Yurembam Girls Primary School), the Presiding Officer objected to said voter casting her vote on the ground that it was 'transfer vote' .
However, the voter has her name enrolled at serial number 202 in the voters' list of polling station number 18/20 but it was marked 'transfer' with a red shield.
While talking to this reporter, the voter said that she had married a man from another constituency but her voting right was still in polling station number 18/20 of Konthoujam Assembly Constituency.
She has not yet transferred her voting right to the constituency where her marital home is, she explained.
|
Apart from this unusual experience, voting held under tight security measures was by and large peaceful.
Even though voter turn out was not up to the mark in the morning, it steadily rose after 11 am.
Although the scheduled period for voting was till 3 pm, voting went on till late afternoon in polling stations 18/13, 18/26 and 18/27 .
Overall, the by-poll was marked by high voter turn out.
In polling station number 18/12, almost 72 per cent of the voters had cast their vote by 12.50 pm.
This particular polling station has 673 voters.
At around this time, poll percentage in polling station number 18/10 having a total of 972 voters was 52 per cent.
Poll percentage in polling station numbers 18/5 and 18/8 having 726 and 843 voters respectively was around 62 per cent by 1 pm.
Polling percentage reached 70 in 18/9 polling station which has a total of 796 voters by 1.45 pm.
Notably, the by-election is being contested by three candidates including one independent.
This is the fourth by poll witnessed during the current Assembly with the three others being, Khundrakpam, Moirang and Yaiskul.