Voters showed up in large numbers early Wednesday as polling began for the Gambegre assembly by-election in Meghalaya’s West Garo Hills, with reports of enthusiastic turnout across the constituency. Chief Electoral Officer BDR Tiwari noted strong voter engagement, with long lines at many polling stations starting from 7 am.
The election has garnered extra attention as Mehtab Chandee Sangma, wife of Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma, is contesting for the ruling National People’s Party (NPP). She faces a competitive race against Congress’s Jingjang M Marak, Trinamool Congress’s Sadhiarani M Sangma, BJP’s Bernard N Marak, and independents Sengkrabirth Marak and Jerry A Sangma.
To ensure a secure voting process, authorities have heightened security at 31 of the constituency’s 51 polling stations, categorized as critical. The seat, which has 32,254 registered voters—including 15,923 women—became vacant after former MLA Saleng A Sangma won a Lok Sabha seat.
