Meghalaya witnesses 10 pc voting

SHILLONG: Meghalaya witnessed ten per cent of the voters exercising their franchise till 9 AM for the two Lok Sabha constituencies where polling began this morning.

Defying a 12-hour bandh called by a banned separatist group in the Khasi Jaintia Hills region, voters turned out more in urban areas compared to rural areas, Chief Electoral Officer P Naik said.

Governor Dr K K Paul cast his vote in the early hours. Security in all hyper-sensitive and sensitive polling stations across the state has been beefed up, state's police chief P J P Hanaman said.

The Indo-Bangladesh border has been sealed and additional BSF forces have been deployed at the border areas especially where polling stations are located, he said.