Nagaland Assembly polls: Over 38.68% voter turnout recorded till 11 a.m.

Kohima, Feb 27 More than 38.68 per cent voter turnout was recorded till 11 a.m. on Monday in the Nagaland Assembly polls, which are now underway in 59 of the 60 Assembly constituencies amid tight security, election officials said.

Enthusiastic men, women and first-time voters in large numbers queued up outside polling stations well before the voting started at 7 a.m. on Monday in 16 districts.

The election officials said that except one, no major untoward incident has been reported from any of the 59 Assembly constituencies.

At Akuk village under Bhandari Assembly constituency in Wokha district, the supporters of a candidate attacked the rival party workers using sharp weapons in which three persons were injured while one of them suffered serious injuries.

Voting in 2,291 polling stations, manned by 11,500 staff, will continue till 4 p.m. on Monday.

Nagaland Chief Electoral Officer, V. Shashank Shekhar said that around 13.16 lakh voters, including 6,55,144 women, would decide the electoral chances of 183 candidates, including four women nominees.

In the 2018 Assembly polls, 190 candidates, including five women, had contested the elections.

BJP candidate Kazheto Kinimi was re-elected unopposed from the Akuluto Assembly constituency after his only opponent and Congress nominee Khekashe Sumi withdrew his candidature on the last day of the withdrawal of nominations on February 10.

To ensure a free, fair and violence-free election, the Union Home Ministry, at the request of the state government, has provided 305 companies of Central Armed Police Force, while the state security forces have also been deployed across the mountainous state.

As many as 12 parties comprising national and state parties are in the fray.

The ruling Nationalist Democratic Progressive Party (NDPP) and its ally Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Opposition Congress and the Naga People's Front (NPP) are the main contenders in the poll battle.

The counting of votes will be held in Nagaland on March 2 along with Meghalaya and Tripura.

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