32 pc polling till noon in Manipur

About 32 per cent of the 17.40 lakh voters exercised their franchise till noon in the Manipur Assembly elections Saturday, the election office said.
  
The polling was peaceful, with no untoward incident reported from any part of the state till noon, official sources said.
  
Ukhrul recorded 39 per cent polling, while Thoubal, from where Chief Minister O Ibobi Singh is contesting, recorded 38 per cent turn out, followed by Tamenglong 37 per cent, Imphal East 35 per cent, Imphal West and Chandel both recorded 30 per cent, Senapati and Bishenpur both 28 per cent and Churchandpur 25 per cent.
  
Bombs suspected to have been planted by militants were seized and defused before the start of polling in Khurai Chingangbam area, Sawombung High School, Khomidok in Imphal East district and Naoremthong High School area in Imphal West district, the sources said.
  
Two CRPF personnel on poll duty were killed in an ambush by militants in Ukhrul district yesterday, they said.
  
A helicopter was kept on standby for for any emergency situation while para-military forces were deployed at polling stations.
  
There were long queues before many polling booths across the valley districts of Imphal East, Imphal West, Thoubal and Bishenpur. Polling at some booths in some interior hill districts was low because of cold, reports said.
  
Altogether 279 candidates are in the fray for the 60-member House with the Chief Minister (Thoubal), Forest minister and senior Congress leader Th Debendra (Jiribam) and Congress nominee and Speaker I Hemochandra Singh (Shingjamei) being the key contenders.
 
Others in the fray are former chief minister and NCP chief Radhabinod Koijam (Thangmeiband), senior Manipur people's party (MPP) leader and former deputy chief minister L Chandramani Singh (Patsoi), senior MPP leader and opposition leader O Joy (Langthabal), MPP president and former minister Nimaichand Luwang (Wangkhem) besides deputy chairman of the state Planning Board Bijoy Koijam (Thongju).