KOHIMA: Over 82 per cent of eligible voters turned out for the by-election to the Koridang Assembly constituency in Nagaland's Mokokchung district, election officials confirmed on Friday.
Of the 22,390 eligible voters, 82.21 per cent cast their ballots across 30 polling stations on Thursday — a creditable figure, though lower than the 88.06 per cent turnout recorded during the 2023 Assembly elections, when the voter base stood at 21,740.
Nagaland Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Bhagyashree Banayat said the polling process was completed without incident.
Following the close of polling, all Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) and Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT) units were secured in designated strong rooms — a process conducted in the presence of candidates or their representatives, Central Observers from the Election Commission of India, and was fully videographed.
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Banayat outlined a two-tier armed security arrangement currently in place at the strong rooms, including deployment of at least one platoon of armed personnel.
Round-the-clock CCTV surveillance has also been activated, and reserve EVMs and VVPATs have been stored separately under the same security protocols.
All contesting candidates have been formally notified to post representatives at the strong rooms. Live CCTV feeds have been made accessible to candidates and their agents, who are permitted to observe from outside the inner security perimeter.
The counting of votes for the Koridang by-election is scheduled for May 4.
In a parallel development, the National People's Party (NPP) — led by Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad K. Sangma — has filed a formal complaint with the Election Commission, demanding a repoll at the Alichen polling station.
The party alleged serious irregularities and deliberate suppression of voter turnout in the Alichen cluster.
The numbers back up the concern: only 1,323 votes were cast out of 3,310 registered voters at Alichen, translating to a turnout of just 39.9 per cent — meaning nearly 60 per cent of voters could not exercise their franchise.
This stands in sharp contrast to neighbouring polling areas, where participation ranged from over 70 per cent to as high as 99 per cent, the NPP noted in its complaint.
The Election Commission is yet to respond formally to the petition.