Imphal/Kohima, April 8 (IANS) Two northeastern states - Manipur and Nagaland - go to the polls Wednesday, marking the second phase of the staggered nine-phase elections in India.
The Election Commission has deferred the balloting to the lone Lok Sabha seat in Mizoram to April 11 considering the three-day shutdown and poll boycott call by NGOs and students' organisations. The polling in the state was earlier scheduled to be held April 9.
The balloting will be held Wednesday for the lone Lok Sabha seat in Nagaland and one of the two seats in Manipur. Manipur is currently ruled by Congress, and in Nagaland the Naga People's Front (NPF)-led Democratic Alliance of Nagaland (DAN) is in power.
In Manipur, polling will be held for the tribal reserve Outer Manipur seat April 9 while the Inner Manipur constituency will vote April 17.
A multi-cornered contest is likely to be witnessed in the Outer Manipur seat as 10 candidates, including a woman, are in the fray.
The ruling Congress has re-nominated its sitting Lok Sabha member Thangso Baite while the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has fielded Gangmumei Kamei, the Trinamool Congress (TMC) Kim Gangte, and the Nationalist Congress Party has fielded Chungkhokai Doungel.
The 51-year-old Kim Gangte of the TMC was the first woman parliamentarian from Manipur to be elected to the Lok Sabha in 1998 as a Communist Party of India (CPI) nominee.
Repeal of the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act, 1958, and development are the major issues in the election this year.
In all, 911,699 voters, including 463,068 women, are eligible to exercise their franchise in 1,406 polling stations in Outer Manipur constituency.
BJP's prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi and Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi addressed rallies in the state, once ravaged by the terrorism. Nagaland Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio had campaigned in the hill districts of Senapati and Tamenglong for NPF candidates.
In Nagaland, Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio will himself fight the Lok Sabha polls against Congress candidate K.V. Pusa. Rio's NPF is a member of the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA).
Among the three candidates testing the electoral waters, Akhei Achumi is contesting on the Socialist Party (India) ticket.
In all, 1,182,903 voters would cast their ballots in 2,059 polling stations to decide the fate of three candidates in the fray for the lone Lok Sabha seat from Nagaland.
Thirty-three companies of the central para-military force have been deployed to ensure peasceful conduct of the polls.
Tight security measures have been taken in both the northeastern states. Border Security Force, Central Reserve Police Force and Assam Rifles have been deployed in large numbers, said an Election Commission official.
"Helicopters would be pressed into service and mobile surveillance squads would supervise the election," the official.
A poll panel notification said that the polling hours have been fixed in Manipur and Nagaland from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. while in the other northeastern states the polling hours are between 7 a.m. and 5 p.m.
IPL 2024: 'He has proved' Bhajji praised Hardik Pandya, told what are his qualities
Former Mumbai Indians spinner Harbhajan Singh has praised the leadership abilities of all-rounder Hardik Pandya ahead of the 2024 season of the Indian Premier League. Pandya is set to captain Mumbai
Realme reduced the price of this budget phone, these special features will be available in the price of less than Rs 10,000
If you are also planning to get a new phone or want to gift a new phone to someone, then you have a great chance. Chinese smartphone company Realme has reduced the price of its great budget phone
The entire Deol family arrived to watch Dharmendra's latest film, Ikkis, but his wife Hema Malini was noticeably absent.
The Deol family is still trying to cope with the loss of veteran superstar Dharmendra. In this atmosphere of grief, they came together for the screening of 'Ikkis', his last film. During the event,
Jawan: A barrage of records on Shah Rukh's 'Jawan', crosses the Rs 500 crore mark in 4 days, total collection will blow your mind
Jawan Collection Day 4 Worldwide: Atlee Kumar's Bollywood directorial film 'Jawan' has created havoc at the box office. The film seems to be making huge profits every day. There is no doubt that this
Report from Tikari Border: Farmers say - we have only built tents now, if the law is not returned, then we will build pucca houses on the highway
The Tikari border, which has become the stronghold of the peasant movement, is at the westernmost end of Delhi. The Delhi Metro running on the Green Line crosses this ticking border and enters
Dhirendra Krishna Shastri: Baba Bageshwar Dhirendra Shastri prayed to Banke Bihari for a Hindu nation and lit a lamp in the temple.
Dhirendra Krishna Shastri concluded the Sanatan Hindu Ekta Padyatra, which began in Delhi, on Sunday evening by visiting and worshipping Thakur Banke Bihari. The Dharmadhwaj of the Padyatra was to be
T20 World Cup: Will the ICC lose 176 million viewers if Bangladesh withdraws? Why did Pakistan's Yusuf face the wrath of the fans?
Former Pakistan batsman Mohammad Yousuf made a statement on the social media platform X regarding Bangladesh's exclusion from the T20 World Cup 2026, which sparked a new debate in the cricket world.
PM Modi Kedarnath Visit: This special dress was presented by the woman of Himachal, PM Modi arrived to worship wearing it
The dress in which Prime Minister Narendra Modi was seen worshiping at Kedarnath is hand-crafted by a woman from Chamba, Himachal Pradesh.
Heavy rain today from Delhi-UP to Rajasthan, read here before going out how will the weather be in your city?
Monsoon rains are occurring in many states of the country. Rain is expected in many states including Delhi-NCR, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Himachal, Bihar, and Haryana today i.e.
BHEL Bags Rs.12,020 Crore Contract in Karnataka
New Delhi, Jan 15 (IANS) State-run electrical equipment behemoth Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited (BHEL) Thursday said it has bagged a project worth Rs.12,020 crore in Karnataka to set-up a
