On Monday, voters in Nagaland and Meghalaya will cast their ballots in the assembly elections while considering problems such as corruption and calls for separate states, among other things. Monday also sees polling for assembly by-elections on a seat in each of Tamil Nadu, Arunachal Pradesh, West Bengal, and Jharkhand.
On Sunday, there were also by-elections for the two assembly districts in Maharashtra, Chinchwad and Kasba Peth.
More than 1,300,000 voters in Nagaland have the right to cast a ballot to determine the viability of 183 candidates for 59 of the 60 assembly positions. The Akuluto constituency in the Zunheboto district was won by incumbent MLA and Bharatiya Janata Party nominee Kazheto Kinimi without any opposition.
2,291 polling places will be used for the 7 am to 4 pm voting, and 196 of those will be staffed by women and 10 by persons with disabilities.
The voting will take place in 59 of the 60 assembly positions in Meghalaya as well. Due to the passing of one of the contestants, the election in the Sohiong constituency has been postponed. The BJP and Trinamool Congress are attempting to overthrow the state’s current administration, which is being fought for by the ruling National People’s Party (NPP).
More than 2,160,000 people in the northeast are qualified to vote. 3,419 polling places have been put up in total. The number of voting places classified as “vulnerable” has reached 640, and 323 are classified as “critical.” Of Meghalaya’s 60 assembly districts, 36 are in the Khasi, Jaintia Hills area and 24 are in the Garo Hills region.
A demand to remove people who have converted to other religions from the Scheduled Tribes has been made by the Janajati Dharma-Sanksriti Suraksha Mancha (JDSSM) chapter in Assam, making it a contentious electoral issue in Nagaland and Meghalaya.
In order to settle the “Naga political issue” in Nagaland, the NSCN(IM) and the Centre signed a “Framework of Agreement” in 2015. The Naga National Political organizations and the government signed a “Agreed Position” in 2017, but the Centre had promised to execute a single peace agreement with all of the rebel organizations. Amit Shah stated in March 2022 that the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) would be repealed in a number of Assam, Manipur, and Nagaland districts.
The incumbent-hating NPP, which is currently in power in Meghalaya, may have to deal with it this time. One of the major polling concerns this time is the lack of infrastructure development in rural and hilly areas. The NPP administration is also troubled by allegations of corruption. Illegal coal extraction in the Jaintia and Khasi Hills could also influence the results of this year’s elections.
After the passing of Thirumahan Everaa, Jambey Tashi, and Subrata Saha, respectively, the seats in the Erode East district in Tamil Nadu, Lumla in Arunachal Pradesh, and Sagardighi in West Bengal were left vacant. Due to Mamta Devi’s disqualification, the Ramgarh assembly district in Jharkhand has been declared vacant for the byelections.
Both the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) alliance, which is in power, and the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam, which is in opposition, place importance on the byelection for the Erode East assembly district. While for the chief minister MK Stalin-led DMK, a win in the bypoll will reaffirm its popularity among voters even after staying in power for close to 20 months, a positive outcome will hold more significance for the AIADMK and particularly Edappadi Palaniswami (EPS), who will then be able to tighten his grip over the party, projecting himself as its tallest leader and silence his friend-turned-foe O Panneerselvam (OPS). All 238 polling places opened for voting at 7 am, and voting will end at 6 pm.
A poll official said on Sunday that there have been extensive security preparations made for the by-election to the Ramgarh assembly seat, where 18 candidates, including 14 Independents, are running. The voting will take place from 7am to 5pm.
