Counting of votes for Tripura, Meghalaya and Nagaland today, tight security in place

GUWAHATI: Authorities clamped prohibitory orders under Section 144 of CrPC across Tripura till 6 am on March 3 to prevent violence as thousands of polling agents across 50 locations in Tripura, Meghalaya and Nagaland prepared for counting of votes that will eventually seal the electoral fates of key political parties and candidates.

In view of a string of pre-poll and post-poll violence in the region, a three-tier security was put in place under CCTV and webcast surveillance for authorities to monitor results.

In a late Wednesday evening poll-related violence in Nagaland, one person was killed in police firing in Noklak district, even as repolling in four polling stations in Zunheboto, Wokha, Mon and Noklak districts passed off peacefully on Wednesday.

Polling took place in the 178 seats across three states -60 in Tripura on February 16 and 59 each in Nagaland and Meghalaya on February 27 in the battles for electoral supremacy ahead of the national battle when the country votes for a new Lok Sabha polls next year.

People voted overwhelmingly for development and peace across the three states after electrifying campaigning led by PM Narendra Modi and home minister Amit Shah and one rally by Rahul Gandhi in Shillong. While Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee made her presence felt in Meghalaya and Tripura, the Left had its stalwarts campaigning in Tripura. For BJP, which stepped into the election mode ahead of others with the objective of deepening its footprints in the three states, and northeast in general, that stakes are higher than the rest.