Imphal, February 14: Apart from stray incidents of jamming of Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) and alleged inconveniences caused to the voters by the polling personnel due to slow verifications, polling in the 10 Assembly segments of Imphal East District held amid tight security passed off peacefully today.

The 10 Assembly segments of the district where election was held today are 1-Khundrakpam AC, 2-Heingang AC, 3-Khurai AC, 4-Kshetrigao AC, 5-Thongju AC, 8-Lamlai AC, 14-Yaiskul AC and 15-Wangkhei AC.

Though the polling started on a dull note due to the inclement weather, the number of people coming out to cast their votes picked up as the day advanced so much so that a large number of voters were seen jostling for space inside the campus of the polling stations just before the end of the polling hour at many polling stations.

In some polling stations, minor hiccups like confrontations between the security personnel and the voters over the alleged denial by the latter to cast vote after the end of the polling hours were also witnessed.

However, the matter was soon resolved after the presiding officers made it clear that those who have already entered the campus of the polling stations and standing in the queue would be allowed to exercise their franchise.

At polling station number 14/3 (Moirangkhom Junior High School) of Yaiskul Assembly Constituency, former Chief Minister RK Dorendra who is also contesting on a MPP ticket was the first person to cast the vote soon after the polling began at 7.30 am.

Mediapersons who had gone to cover this polling station, which is also the home polling station of RK Dorendra, came across that out of the total electors on the list of the polling station, 134 of them had already cast their votes by 9 am.

At polling station number 1/13 (Chingkhu Cosmopolitan High School) of Khundrakpam Assembly, voting began 2 hours behind the schedule timing as the Electronic Voting Machine (EVM) used in the said polling station had some technical problem.

As a consequent, tension ran high among some of the voters who started arguing with the polling personnel on duty.

However, the situation was firmly controlled by the security personnel deployed in the polling station.

The Returning Officer concerned also arrived soon after to look into the matter and the voting resumed in peace.

Reports of malfunctioning of EVMs causing inconveniences to the voters have also been received from at least seven other polling stations of Imphal East district.