Correspondent
KOHIMA, SEPTEMBER 4
CREATING a history in the electioneering process of the country, Nagaland today became the first state to use the high-tech voter recording system ‘Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail’ (VVPAT) with Electronic Voting Machines for the bye-elections to Noksen Assembly constituency.Tuensang Deputy Commissioner and DRO, Mhumbemo Lotha said a total of 70.3% exercised their franchise through the VVPAT without any problem either from the election officials or the voters.
He said initially though there were some anxiety and nervousness but the polling went by smoothly and ended successfully. “None of the machines gave problem,” he said.
He also expressed that the polling which began at 8 am and ended at 5 pm with some consideration for polling station crossing little beyond the permitted hour to allow those within the perimeter of the booths to finish casting their votes.
He said polling in all the 21 booths went on peaceful in a free and fair manner, except for commotion being created at Longrah polling station due to alleged mismatch of a voter slip.
The security personnel in the booth resorted to blank firing in order to control the situation and it was instantaneously normalized, he said.
He also said even the electorate of the constituency have displayed sincerity and responded to the call of the churches for clean elections.
Out of the total 12074 electorates, including 6142 males and 5832 females, only 70.3% exercised their franchise in 21 polling stations spread over 19 villages in the constituency.
The bye-poll to Noksen constituency was necessitated following the resignation of Minister for School Education CM Chang to retain the lone Lok Sabha seat from Nagaland in order to avoid the parliamentary bye-polls as parliamentary elections are due by early part of 2014.
Chang resigning from his the state assembly on March 14 last had said he wanted to come to the state assembly to work for the welfare and development of his constituency in particular and the Nagas in general.
The bye-poll witnessed straight fight between NPF candidate CM Chang and Congress nominee Lima Onen Chang.
VVPAT attractive agent in elections
Correspondent
MOKOKCHUNG, SEPTEMBER 4
THE bye-election to the 51 Noksen A/C saw the straight contest between NPF candiadte CM Chang and Congress nominee Limaonen Chang under heavy security deployment. There were atleast four companies of Indian Reserve Battalion and an unspecified number of central Paramilitary forces.
The polls were by and large peaceful throughout the constituency except for Longra village.
The village with a total of 898 electorate became the site of a a scuffle between the public and polling officials at around 12.30-1 pm. This prompted the security forces on duty to fire 30-40 rounds in the air in order to subdue the untoward incident. This also led to the delay of polling which was extended till 5.45 pm from 5 pm. Minor pre-poll scuffles were also reported from Litem and Longtang villages between the party workers but were brought under control.
SDO (Civil) Noksen Chubatemjen stated that the administration was doing its best to maintain sanctity of ‘one man one vote’ and the authority enforcing the same as far as possible.
Many elderly and senior citizens at Noksen town turned up to cast their votes.
“It is a very fair election,” stated P Chingmak, election Agent at Noksen town.
He did not have very encouraging words to describe earlier elections alleging that almost 10% of the votes cast were proxy voting.
One of the likely factors contributing to the total voter turn out of 70.3% is believed to be the debut of the Voter Verification Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT).
It is the first time the voting machine is being used in India and there were no reports of it malfunctioning.
A voter at one of the polling stations commented that “the debut of the VVPAT in the bye-election was attracting curious voters far and near areas.”
By all accounts, the machines functioned well and voters using the same for the first time responded positively.
It may be worth noting that there are 21 polling stations at Noksen Assembly constituency with 19 villages – Longra, Yangpi, Noksen, Noksen HQ, Litem, Yimrup, Yali, Yunyu, Kumpong, Sangtak, Longtang, Momching, Sangchen, Saoshou, Bhumpak, Lokong, Nakshou, Ngongchung and Yokumsang.
