Shillong Apr 12: Re-polling at Konarchar polling station under Selsella Assembly constituency has been recommended due to crisscrossing of EVMs during the polling held on Thursday.

Selsella Assembly seat went to bye-election together with the Lok Sabha poll to Tura Parliamentary constituency, and two EVMs, one for Assembly bypoll, and another for Lok Sabha poll was arranged at Konarchar polling station.

Konarchar polling booth has a total of 712 votes.

The problem occurred due wrong connection of the voting machines by a presiding officer.

No date has been fixed for conducting the re-poll in this polling booth.

Meanwhile votes polled in four polling stations under Tura Lok Sabha constituency and two under Shillong Lok Sabha constituency would be counted by counting the slips generated by the Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trails (VVPATs).

Counting of votes will take place on May 23.

According to the Chief Electoral Officer, F.R. Kharkongor, the six polling stations where slips generated by VVPATs would be counted are Possengagre, Kochapara, Aminda Simsang (all under Gambegre Assembly constituency) and Dawar Katinggre (Williamnagar Assembly constituency) under Tura Lok Sabha constituency and two polling stations under Shillong Assembly constituency include Nongpyndeng (Nongstoiñ Assembly seat), and Khliehrangnah (Raliang Assembly constituency).

Kharkongor said that VVPAT slips have to be counted in these six polling stations because presiding officers have forgotten to clear the data recorded in the voting machines when mock poll was conducted.

Moreover, according to updated figures, Tura Lok Sabha constituency witnessed a high turnout of 81.30 per cent in the Lok Sabha polls held on Thursday.

However the voting in Shillong Lok Sabha seat recorded just 65.49 per cent, while voting in the bye election to Selsella Assembly constituency was 92.20 percent.

But the state recorded an overall turnout of 71.41 per cent this year by taking into action the voting percentage in the two Lok Sabha seats – Shillong and Tura – and Assembly bye election in Selsella.

Six candidates who include sitting Lok Sabha MP, Vincent H. Pala of the Congress, Sanbor Shullai of the BJP, Jemino Mawthoh of the UDP and three Independents – T.H.S. Bonney, Romeo Phira Ranee and Samuel Hashah from Shillong constituency.

From Tura Lok Sabha constituency, former Chief Minister, Mukul Sangma of the Congress, former Union Minister, Agatha K. Sangma of the ruling NPP, and Rikman G. Momin of the BJP are in the fray.

From Selsella Assembly constituency, four candidates are in the fray – Ferlin CA Sangma of the NPP, June Eliana R. Marak of the Congress, Sayeedullah Nongrum of the United Democratic Party and Adorsho Sangma of the BJP.