Voting for Meghalaya's Tura parliamentary constituency bypoll began on a peaceful note Thursday where over 5.26 lakh voters in three districts of Garo hill region are expected to exercise their franchise.

Polling began at 7 am in 588 booths amid tight security with state police and 18 companies of central paramilitary forces comprising Central Reserve Police Force and Border Security Force keeping a vigil, returning officer P Sampath Kumar told reporters.

Four candidates including Nationalist Congress Party veteran and former Lok Sabha speaker P A Sangma fighting for the ninth time and Congress nominee Mukul Sangma, also former deputy chief minister of the state, are in the fray. The two others are independents.