Polling for all the 38 seats in Manipur started on Monday, with 27.34 per cent voting recorded until 11 am. No violence has been reported in polling booths so far. This is the first of the two-part election in the insurgency-hit state.
Here is a district-wise breakdown: Imphal East: 26.66 per cent, Imphal West: 31.60 per cent, Bishnupur: 29.66 per cent, Churachandpur: 16.68 per cent and Kagpokpi: 32.16 per cent.
According to ECI, As many as 173 candidates out of which 15 are women are in the fray with 12,09,439 voters expected to exercise their franchise. BJP is fielding candidates in all the 38 seats while the Congress is contesting 35, the JD(U) 28 and the NPP 27.
According to the ECI, of the 2,959 polling booths, 1,099 and 763 have been identified as vulnerable and critical.
The key candidates whose fates would be decided today include Chief Minister N Biren Singh, who is contesting from Heingang, speaker Y Khemchand Singh from Singjamei, Deputy Chief Minister Yumnam Joykumar Singh from Uripok and state Congress chief N Lokesh Singh from Nambol.
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which got 21 seats (36.28% total voting share), formed the government in the state in 2017 even as Congress emerged as the single-largest party with 28 seats (35.11% total voting share) with the help of the National People’s Party who won 4 seats (7.17% total voting share), and Naga People’s Front and the Lok Janshakti Party both won 1 seat each.
