All arrangements made for LS polls, 6 candidates in fray in Mizoram

AIZAWL: All arrangements have been made for Friday's polling for the lone Lok Sabha seat in Mizoram in which six candidates are in the fray, a senior election official said. Over 6.56 lakh electorates, including 4.4 lakh female voters are eligible to cast their votes, he said.

Mizoram additional chief electoral officer H Lianzela told PTI that voting will begin in all 1,276 polling stations across the state at 7 am and end at 5 pm.

The official said that the 510-km long international border with Myanmar and 318 km with Bangladesh has been sealed.

Besides, movement of traffic in the state boundaries with Assam, Manipur and Tripura has also been restricted.

At least 6,500 polling personnel have been deployed for the Lok Sabha polls.

Polling parties designated for 168 remote polling stations in south Mizoram's Lunglei and Lawngtlai districts and Mamit district in the western part of the state have left for their respective polling stations on Wednesday, Lianzela said.

The remaining polling personnel left for their designated polling stations on Thursday, he added.

Security has been tightened across the state and adequate measures have been taken along the international border and inter-state borders, a senior police officer said.

More than 3,500 policemen and 12 companies of the Central Armed Police Force (CAPF) have been deployed to ensure peaceful elections, state Inspector General of Police (Headquarters) Lalbiakthanga Khiangte said.

The ruling Zoram People's Movement (ZPM) has fielded debutant Richard Vanlalhmangaiha, while the main opposition Mizo National Front (MNF) fielded sitting lone Rajya Sabha member from the state, K Vanlalvena.

Congress has fielded former state Home secretary Lalbiakzama, while BJP nominated its state president Vanlalhmuaka and the People's Conference (PC) party fielded a woman candidate, Rita Malsawmi.

Lalhriatrenga Chhangte, who had unsuccessfully contested the last Lok Sabha polls in 2019, is again trying his luck as an independent candidate this time.

Although there are six contenders, experts believe that it will be mainly a three-cornered contest among ZPM, MNF and Congress.

Since 1972 when Mizoram first voted in the Lok Sabha polls, the ruling parties in the state usually won the polls except on two occasions in 1980 and 1998 when the Lok Sabha polls were swept by the opposition party by forging electoral alliances.

In the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, then-ruling MNF nominee C Lalrosanga defeated his nearest opponent Lalnghinglova Hmar, an independent candidate backed by Congress and ZPM, by a margin of 8,140 votes.