Shillong, March 02: Counting of votes for 59 Assembly seats that went to polls on Tuesday will be counted in 13 centres across the state on Saturday.

Amid tight security, counting will begin from 8 am onwards.

The counting of votes will decide the fate of 361 candidates including 31 women and 80 Independents, as only 59 of them will get elected as new members of the tenth Meghalaya Legislative Assembly.

The tenure of the ninth Meghalaya Assembly will expire on March 6.

The 13 centres for counting of votes include Shillong, other district headquarters like Jowai, Khliehriat, Nongpoh, Nongstoi̱, Mawkyrwat, Tura, Williamnagar, Baghmara, Ampati and Resubelpara, and the headquarters of two Civil Sub Divisions РSohra and Mairang.

Heavy security will be deployed in all the 13 counting centres, and the state government is utilising the service of 11 companies of Central Armed Police Force to tackle law and order problem likely to occur after the declaration of election results.

Meghalaya chief electoral officer, F.R. Kharkongor said that 37 Returning Officers and 59 Assistant Returning Officers would be present during the counting of votes along with various counting agents of various candidates.

Out of 18,09,818 voters, 15,50,951 voters which include 7,54,516 men, and 7,96,435 women casted their votes in 3,025 polling booths of the 59 Assembly seats.

The polling saw a turnout of 85.70 per cent.

The election in Williamanagar constituency has been countermanded following the killing 0f NCP candidate, Jonathone N. Sangma in an IED blast near Sawilgre village about 14 Km from Samanda Block in East Garo Hills district on February 18, nine days before going to the polls.

Political parties among others in the fray include Congress, NPP, BJP, NCP, UDP, HSPDP, GNC, PDF, and KHNAM.

In 2013, the Congress won 29 seats and added its tally to 30 in the Assembly by-poll from Chokpot constituency held in 2015 after the demise of GNC leader, Clifford R. Marak.

The UDP and HSPDP got eight and four MLAs respectively while NPP and NCP got only two seats each, and the BJP drew a blank.

Similarly, KHNAM and other political parties did not win a single seat. However as many as 13 Independents were elected in 2013.