Shillong, May 26: Polling personnel on Saturday left for their respective polling booths in Ampati constituency to conduct the voting slated for Monday.

Amid thunderstorm and heavy downpour on the first day of their movement, the polling personnel carried with them Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) and Voter Verifiable Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trails (VVPATs) to their respective polling stations as they moved out of Ampati, the district headquarters of South West Garo Hills.

On the first day, polling parties left Ampati for the farthest 21 polling stations and polling parties assigned to conduct the election in the remaining 18 polling stations will leave on Sunday.

Out of 39 polling booths, six have been classified as ‘vulnerable’ due to various reasons including group clashes, inter-state border areas, elephant infestation and remoteness.

Four companies of security force have been deployed in the constituency for election duty and a total of 156 polling officials were assigned to conduct the bye election.

Five polling stations are under webcasting.

Altogether, there are 28,699 voters which include 14,317 male and 14,382 female voters.

Out of 28,699 voters, 28,571 are general electors (14,190 male and 14381 female) and 127 service electors (127 male, and 1 female).

The bye election was necessitated after Dr Mukul decided to give up the Ampati seat he had represented since 1993, as he was also elected as MLA of Songsak in East Garo Hills district in the Assembly elections held on February 27 this year.

Three candidates are contesting the bye election which include, Congress candidate, Miani Dalbot Shira, an eldest daughter of Dr Mukul Sangma, the former Chief Minister and current Leader of Opposition, National People’s Party candidate, Clement G. Momin, and Subhankar Koch, who is contesting as an Independent.