Staff Reporter
ITANAGAR, Oct 21: The voting in the bye-election to the Khonsa West assembly constituency in Tirap district went peacefully on Monday.
The polling saw a high voter turnout of 89 percent, according to the office of the state’s chief electoral officer (CEO). Tirap DEO PN Thungon said 20 polling stations recorded more than 90 percent voter turnout.
The contest is between independent candidates Chakat Aboh and Azet Homtok.
Aboh, the widow of slain MLA Tirong Aboh, is expected to win the contest, and is the consensus candidate of five political parties, including the BJP, the Congress, and the NPP.
An additional 12 companies of central forces, besides the normal strength, were deployed in the entire constituency to ensure peaceful conduct of the election, the CEO’s office informed.
The polling in all the 23 polling stations was by and large peaceful. The constituency has a total electorate of 10,186, with 5,226 female voters.
The counting of votes is scheduled for 24 October.
The bye-election was necessitated following the assassination of Tirong Aboh on 21 May. He was killed along with 10 others, including his son, while they were returning to Khonsa from Assam.
The Tirap massacre, believed to have been carried out by the NSCN (IM), occurred just two days before the declaration of the 11 April election results.
Tirong Aboh, of the NPP, won the election posthumously, defeating Phawang Lowang of the BJP by more than 1000 votes.