Guwahati: Polling began at 7 am in the tiny northeastern state of Mizoram at 7 am on Wednesday, where total of 7,68,181 voters including 3,93,685 females and 3,74,496 males are expected to exercise their franchise to decide the fate of total 209 candidates including 15 women candidates.
Voters started to arrive in hordes at polling stations across all the eight districts of Mizoram besides Bru refugee voters from Tripura who slated to cast their votes at at Kanhmun on Mizoram-Tripura inter-state boundary.
Voters in the hill state with 40 Assembly constituencies are going to elect their representatives to the 7th Assembly of the state.
The election in the state has witnessed a keen contest between traditional rivals Congress and Mizo National Front in the run up to the polls. . Both the parties have fielded candidates in all the 40 legislative assembly constituencies while BJP which is new to the state politics has fielded candidates in 39 constituencies including six women candidates. The BJP hopes to open its account in the Christian-majority state this time. The saffron party has engaged its top guns including the Prime Minister, Narendra Modi and party president Amit Shah to hit the campaign trail in the hill state.
Casting his vote at Aizawl, the MNF chief , 74-year-old Zoramthanga exuded confidence about his party forming the next government in the state after the polls even as the ruling Congress led by 80-year-old Lal Thanhawla hopes to retain power for the third-time on the trot
Polling are being held in 1,164 polling stations across the state where EVMs are being used in all the polling stations
One all-women polling station per Assembly Constituency has been set up across the state as per the guidelines of the Election Commission.
The Election Commission has made arrangement for web casting of the polling process from 40 polling stations across the state and two polling stations at Kanhmun on Mizoram border where Bru refugee voters will cast their votes coming from their camps in Tripura.
Bru refugee voters from Tripura are being transported from their camps in Tripura to facilitate them to cast their votes in 15 polling stations set up at Kanhmun on Mizoram-Tripura inter-state boundary. Total 12014 Brus refugees residing in Tripura are expected to cast their votes at Kanhmun.