The fate of as many as 272 candidates will be decided on Friday as over 13 lakh voters started voting in the district council elections on Friday. The counting of votes will take place on February 24. A total number of 158 candidates, including 12 women, are contesting in the KHADC polls while 114 candidates including 12 women candidates will fight it out in the JHADC election. The urban areas in Khasi and Jaintia Hills saw low-key campaigning as compared to the rural pockets.
There are 1,669 polling stations in the KHADC with around 110 being tagged as sensitive. Ninety-five of the 477 polling stations in the JHADC have been declared as sensitive. With 49,841 voters, Mawlai is the biggest constituency in the KHADC while Jaiaw with 17,148 voters is the smallest constituency. The total number of voters in the KHADC is 9,96,518.
With 14,167 voters, Muthlong-Sohkymphor is the biggest constituency in the JHADC. The smallest constituency is Sumer with 8,305 voters. The total number of voters in the JHADC is around 3,12,300. The Voice of the People Party (VPP), National People’s Party (NPP), United Democratic Party (UDP), Khun Hynniewtrep National Awakening Movement (KHNAM), Hill State People’s Democratic Party (HSPDP), Congress and Independents are among the contenders.The results will prove whether the NPP, which heads the MDA coalition in the state, has been able to beat the anti-incumbency wave in Khasi and Jaintia Hills.
