Voting begins in Meghalaya and Nagaland; over 30 lakh people to exercise their franchise, more details here

Meghalaya Nagaland Election: The ongoing Assembly polls in Meghalaya and Nagaland, two northeastern states that are presently governed by BJP in coalition with regional parties, involve the voting of 59 seats each. The BJP in Meghalaya is contesting the polls independently following a disagreement with NPP's Conrad Sangma and aims to improve its electoral performance.

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Votes to be counted on 2nd March

The Sohiong seat in Meghalaya will be polling at a later date due to the demise of a candidate. Meanwhile, in Nagaland's Akuluto constituency, a BJP candidate has already secured a seat in the legislature as their Congress opponent withdrew from the race. The votes will be counted on March 2.

Assembly by-elections are taking place today for a single seat in Tamil Nadu, Arunachal Pradesh, West Bengal, and Jharkhand as well. Additionally, the state of Maharashtra held by-elections on Sunday for two assembly seats, namely Chinchwad and Kasba Peth.

In Meghalaya, the Congress, BJP, Conrad Sangma's NPP (National People's Party), and Mamata Banerjee's Trinamool Congress are competing against each other in a multi-cornered contest. As of 9 am, 15.8% of eligible voters in Nagaland and 12.1% in Meghalaya have cast their votes. The BJP, which won only two seats in 2018 but managed to form a government with the NPP, is fielding candidates on all 60 seats this time, following a disagreement with Mr Sangma's party over corruption allegations.

In Nagaland, triangular contests are expected in 59 of the 60 assembly constituencies. The BJP has formed an alliance with the NDPP (Nationalist Democratic Progressive Party) and is contesting on 20 seats, while the NDPP is contesting on 40 seats, as per the seat-sharing agreement. This is an increase from the BJP's 12 seats in the 2018 elections.

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18 candidates in one seat

For the first time, Nagaland may have a female MLA, as four women candidates are contesting the elections. Despite having women in prominent positions in every field, the state has never had a female legislator.

In Ramgarh assembly constituency, a by-election is scheduled, and 18 candidates, including 14 Independents, are contesting. On Sunday, a poll official stated that elaborate security arrangements have been made, and polling will commence at 7 am and continue until 5 pm.

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