Shillong Oct 30 PTI Over 80 per cent of the one lakh plus voters exercised their franchise in the bye-elections to three assembly constituencies in Meghalaya on Saturday Chief Electoral Officer FR Kharkongor saidThere was no report of any untoward incident during the polling in Mawryngkneng Mawphlang and Rajabala he saidThe voter turnout is 8086 per cent till 7 pm Reports are awaited from some of the remote polling stations Kharkongor saidThe highest voter turnout at 9063 per cent was recorded in Rajabala while Mawphlang and Mawryngkneng registered 769 per cent and 7506 per cent polling respectivelyThirteen candidates are in the fray for the by-polls to the three seatsIn Mawryngkneng ruling National Peoples Party candidate Pyniaid Sing Syiem is locking horns with Congress nominee Highlander Kharmalki There are three Independent candidates as wellFormer national footballer Eugeneson Lyngdoh is contesting the election from Mawphlang on a United Democratic Party ticket He is up against Kennedy C Khyriem of the Congress and NPP nominee Lamphrang BlahIn the Rajabala constituency the contestants are Hashina Yasmin Mondal of the Congress D Shira UDP Md Abdus Saleh NPP Kingston B Marak BJP and an Independent candidateBypolls were necessitated in the three seats following the death of sitting MLAs PTI JOP RMS BDC NN NN

Shillong Oct 30 PTI Voting was underway for the by-elections in three assembly constituencies in Meghalaya amid tight securityChief Election Officer FR Kharkongor said polling began at 7 am in all the polling stations in Mawryngkneng Mawphlang and Rajabala assembly constituenciesThe initial hour saw brisk polling he addedThe by-elections were necessitated following the demise of the sitting MLAs of the three seatsA total of 13 candidates are in the fray for the bypolls to the three seats Five candidates each are contesting from Mawryngkneng and Rajabala constituencies while three are in the fray in Mawphlang constituencyOver 1 lakh voters are eligible to exercise their franchise in the bypollsMawryngkneng with 60 polling stations has 36751 voters while Mawphlang with 50 polling stations has 33194 voters and Rajabala with 58 polling stations has 32750 votersThe votes will be counted on November 2 PTI JOP SOM SOM