Shillong, Feb 21: The stage is set for polling to the autonomous district councils of Khasi Hills and Jaintia Hills on February 21. Over 13 lakh voters are eligible to elect 272 candidates who are in the fray in the twin councils.

There are 158 contestants for the Khasi Hills Autonomous District Council (KHADC) elections. The electorate size is 9,96,518. Out of this, there are 5,15,247 female, 4,81,268 male, and three third gender voters. On the other hand, there are 114 contestants and 3,12,300 voters in the Jaintia Hills Autonomous District Council (JHADC). Out of this total, there are 1,61,220 female and 1,51,079 male voters. There is one third gender voter.

Commissioner and Secretary in-charge District Council Affairs, Cyril Diengdoh, said adequate security arrangements have been made for smooth conduct of the polls.

There are 1,669 polling stations for the KHADC and out of these, 129 have been identified as vulnerable or critical. Likewise, there are 477 polling stations for the JHADC and 95 have been identified as vulnerable or critical.

Citing that enough security forces have been deployed for the polls, Diengdoh said security forces from the Garo Hills region have been requisitioned for the polls.

Meanwhile, the principal electoral contenders are the NPP, Voice of People's Party (VPP), United Democratic Party, and Congress. However, the main fight is likely to be between the NPP and the VPP.