Tura, October 25: The filing of nominations for the Gambegre bye-election closed at 3:00 PM on Friday, with six candidates officially entering the race.
Nipon Hajong, ADC Election (WGH) and Returning Officer (RO) for the Gambegre bye-election, announced that four candidates represent recognized political parties, while two are running as independents.
Scrutiny of the nomination papers is scheduled for the morning of October 28, with Hajong explaining that all candidate papers passed initial checks with no issues detected.
“On the 28th, in the presence of candidates and their agents, we will conduct the scrutiny to determine if any nominations face rejection or acceptance,” Hajong stated. Candidates will have until October 30 to withdraw their nominations, with election symbols allocated to independent candidates on the same day.
The Gambegre bye-election will be conducted under the same guidelines as the General Election, with the Model Code of Conduct (MCC) in place since the announcement of the election date, said the RO.
Hajong affirmed that his role as the RO includes overseeing the entire election process to ensure smooth operations.
When asked about critical or vulnerable polling stations in Gambegre, Hajong noted that, based on previous elections, no polling stations in the constituency have been identified as vulnerable or critical.
“However, if sensitivities emerge as the campaign progresses, the Central Observer has the authority to address the situation and, if necessary, deploy micro-observers,” Hajong added.
The Gambegre bye-election will involve 51 polling stations, serving a constituency with 31,439 registered electors, of whom 28,448 cast their votes in the 2023 General Assembly election.
The bye-election was called following the vacancy left by MLA Saleng A. Sangma, who resigned after being elected as the MP of Tura.
