Imphal, March 5: Altogether 40 electronic voting machines (EVMs) and polling personnel from the interior parts of Churachandpur and Pherzwal districts were airlifted to the district headquarters of Churachandpur district today after bad weather prevented them from travelling yesterday.

Churachandpur and Pherzwal went to the polls yesterday along with the districts of Imphal East, Imphal West, Bishnupur and Kangpokpi. The elections ended at 3pm, but poll personnel could not reach the district headquarters yesterday because of bad roads.

"Despite the bad weather, we have been able to airlift all the 40 presiding officers, poll personnel and voting machines and safely deposited them to the respective places," chief electoral officer Vivek Kumar Dewangan said.

After getting reports of Pherzwal district, the chief electoral officer's office revised the poll percentage to 86.5 per cent today. The poll percentage of Churachandpur district is yet to be calculated.

Yesterday's polling without the 40 polling stations of Churachandpur and Pherzawl was calculated at 84 per cent. Re-polling, if at all in any booths, is yet to be decided.

Dewangan attributed the high turnout to success of voter awareness campaigns organised by his office before the elections.

The office of the chief electoral officer yesterday received complaints of intimidation and use of force at various constituencies, including Saikul and Saikot.

"We are investigating the complaints and we will take a decision tomorrow," he said.

After the "successful" first phase of polling, the election officials started preparing for the second and last phase of polling in 22 constituencies on Wednesday.

Today, the central paramilitary forces used in the first phase started leaving for the constituencies that go to polls in the next phase polling. In the first phase, 280 companies of central paramilitary forces were used. All the companies will also be deployed in the last phase.

Poll officials expressed happiness with the success of the experiment of deploying only women personnel in 16 polling stations - 10 in Imphal West and six in Bishnupur districts - yesterday.

Maibam Haripriya, one of the 16 women presiding officers, said she was proud to play a role in the elections and that the local voters were very cooperative. She was deployed at one of the polling stations in Thangmeiband constituency.