Shillong, Feb. 12: The three autonomous district council elections in Meghalaya, billed as a testing ground for Meghalaya strongman Purno Sangma, registered a 50 per cent turnout today. Polling was by and large peaceful without report of any major untoward incident, police said.
The only incident that was reported was the death of seven persons in an accident near Puriang under Sohrynkham constituency in the East Khasi Hills district.
The jeep, in which the seven persons were returning after having cast their ballots, dashed against a wall killing four on the spot. The three others died in hospital.
Elections were held for the Khasi, Jaintia and Garo Hills autonomous district councils today. All three councils have 29 seats each.
Returning officer of the East Khasi Hills, D.P. Wahlang, said the turnout was slow in the morning but picked up later. There are over 12 lakh voters in 87 constituencies spread over Khasi, Jaintia and Garo hills.
According to official figures, 394 candidates representing all the national parties, besides regional and Independent candidates, are contesting the elections.
There are 136 candidates in the Khasi hills, 112 in the Jaintia hills and 146 candidates in the Garo hills. For the first time, four women candidates are in the fray. Though all the political parties, including the newly-formed Khun Hynniewtrep National Awakening Movement (KHNAM) have fielded candidates, political observers feel the main contest would be between the Congress, the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) and the United Democratic Party (UDP).
After a pat on the back from the BJP, former Lok Sabha Speaker Purno A. Sangma is on a new high.
The district council elections are being seen as a testing ground for Sangma who will be seeking re-election to the 14th Lok Sabha from Tura parliamentary seat. Sangma has been candid enough to confess that the district council elections, unlike in other years are ?important for him and his party?.
The BJP support perhaps could not have come at a better time for Sangma, who is making all-out effort to increase his support base in the Northeast in order to regain his hold on the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP). Sangma has claimed that he has more support than Sharad Pawar in the NCP.