Shillong, March 19 Officials from the Kamrup district of Assam and the West Khasi Hills district of Meghalaya conducted a joint inspection of the Langpih border area on Thursday to assess the preparedness for the upcoming Assam Assembly elections, an official said.
Langpih, or Lumpi, is one of the six areas of dispute where both Meghalaya and Assam claim administrative control over the area pending a final resolution.
The inspection was carried out by Kamrup Deputy Commissioner Deba Kumar Mishra and West Khasi Hills Deputy Commissioner Hema Nayak, along with senior police and civil officials from both sides.
Present at the meeting were Kamrup Superintendent of Police Subhashish Baruah, West Khasi Hills Superintendent of Police Herbert Pyniaid Kharkongor, the Chief Executive Officer of the Kamrup Zila Parishad, and other officials.
A joint meeting was also held at Lower Lumpi with local residents to ensure that polling in the border village is conducted in a free, fair, and peaceful manner.
"The border areas of the Kamrup district share proximity with the Ri-Bhoi and West Khasi Hills districts, making inter-state coordination crucial for the smooth conduct of elections," Mishra said.
"There are approximately 15 polling stations in the border areas, including Lumpi, Gamerimura, and Ukiam, which fall under the Boko-Chaygaon and Palashbari Assembly constituencies," he added.
Nayak said the meeting was aimed at ensuring all necessary arrangements are in place.
"The meeting at Lumpi was organized to ensure proper coordination and preparedness for the elections, which has helped in conducting peaceful polls in the past as well," she said.
Officials said discussions focused on the smooth conduct of voting, deployment of security personnel, and facilitating voters from both sides of the inter-state border.
The elections to the 126-member Assam assembly will be held on April 9. Votes will be counted on May 4.