Meghalaya assembly polls: Over 10.5 pc voter turnout recorded till 9 am
Shillong (PTI): Meghalaya recorded a voter turnout of 10.55 per cent till 9 am on Monday, with the polling process being peaceful in the first two hours, Chief Electoral Officer FR Kharkongor said.
Polling began in 59 of 60 assembly constituencies in the northeastern state at 7 am as 21.6 lakh voters are expected to seal the electoral fate of 369 candidates.
"We have noticed enthusiasm among voters in the Khasi Jaintia Hills region and voting is picking up slowly in the Garo Hills. Long queues of voters were seen in several polling stations," Kharkongor told PTI.
He also said "no untoward incident" has been reported so far.
"Malfunctioning of EVMs were reported in a few polling booths but these were later fixed. Polling is being held in a free and fair manner," the CEO said.
The ruling National People's Party is fighting to retain power while the BJP, the Trinamool Congress and other regional parties are vying to bring about a change in the government.
Voting is underway at 3,419 polling stations, of which 640 have been categorised as vulnerable' and 323 as critical', Kharkongor said.
Polling will continue till 4 pm.
Thirty-six of the 369 candidates are women, with the largest number of 10 being put up by the Congress.
Polling in Sohiong assembly constituency has been adjourned due to the death of one of the candidates.
"Over 19,000 polling personnel and 119 companies of CAPFs have been deployed. They have been backed by state policemen to maintain law and order," the CEO said.
Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma is contesting from South Tura constituency where he has locked horns with militant-turned-politician Bernard Marak.
Leader of Opposition and TMC leader Mukul Sangma is contesting from two seats Songsak and Tikrikilla. His wife D D Shira is also in the fray.
The Congress and the BJP are contesting 59 seats, while the NPP has put up nominees in 56 constituencies, the TMC in 57 and the UDP in 46.
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No unannounced load shedding in Kerala, outages due to overload, says Minister
Palakkad (PTI): Kerala Electricity Minister K Krishnankutty on Saturday said there was no unannounced load shedding in the state, attributing recent power interruptions to temporary overload caused by high consumption.
Clarifying concerns raised from various parts of the state, the minister said the disruptions are not deliberate but occur when demand peaks, particularly between 10 pm and 11 pm.
"It is not being done intentionally. Power consumption has risen sharply, and when there is excessive and indiscriminate usage, the system experiences overload, leading to natural supply interruptions," he told reporters here.
His remarks come amid complaints that several areas have been witnessing frequent power cuts, often lasting around 15 minutes and occurring multiple times during the night.
Krishnankutty said the state's power demand has crossed 6,195 MW, putting pressure on the supply system. He added that around 70 per cent of Kerala's electricity is procured from outside, and existing power banking arrangements have been exhausted.
"We have approached the Regulatory Commission seeking permission to purchase more power. However, this will come at a higher cost," he said.
The minister said the government is trying to avoid increasing electricity tariffs and urged consumers to exercise restraint in usage to help manage the situation.
Responding to opposition criticism over the ruling LDF's earlier claims of a decade without power cuts, he said the current situation is not unique to Kerala.
A power crisis is emerging across the country, he said, and sarcastically asked the Opposition to take note of the role of natural factors in this.
Krishnankutty expressed confidence that the situation would improve within two days, while cautioning that long-term energy security would depend on enhancing in-state power generation.
He also warned that future generations could face serious challenges if adequate electricity production capacity is not developed within Kerala.
