Unknown individuals reportedly from Karbi Anglong failed to prevent an election campaign of a UDP candidate at Mokoiram village located along the Meghalaya-Assam border in West Jaintia Hills district.
An election campaign of UDP candidate Damian S War, who is contesting the Mynsngat-Khanduli constituency, was scheduled to be held at the village today.
According to party workers the individuals are from Karbi Anglong. However, they failed to prevent them from holding the campaign and had to leave the area after a brief argument.
It may be mentioned that an appeal was earlier made to the district administration in West Jaintia Hills to bolster security measures along the inter-state border as people have referred to past threats and intimidation during past elections.
The district administrations of both the states are scheduled to meet through a video conference on February 14 to discuss measures to maintain peace and order in Block 1 during the Jaintia Hills District Autonomous District Council election.
Meanwhile, the Returning Officer (RO) of Shilliang Myntang and Barato-Mukroh constituencies has said that permission has been granted to candidates for campaigning in areas near the disputed border areas with utmost care and sincerity.
No permission is given for campaigning or rallies beyond areas where there are voters, especially in the disputed areas and no permission has been granted to any candidate or party to campaign outside the boundary of their constituency.
“When granting permission for rallies, meetings, or campaigns within the concerned constituency, strict conditions have been outlined in the approval itself to maintain law and order. To date, there have been no lapses on our part in issuing such permissions,” the RO said.
While sector and zonal magistrates have been deployed to monitor the smooth functioning of the election process in the two constituencies so far no incidents that could compromise the peaceful conduct of the election took place.
On an incident where the Assam police reportedly stopped certain candidates while campaigning on February 8, despite their campaigns being within the boundary of their constituency, the RO said the candidates had complied with the request to stop and disperse, thereby preventing any untoward incidents and maintaining peace.
Meanwhile, the sector and zonal magistrates have been directed to remain vigilant in these areas to ensure a smooth and successful election.
