Mizoram polling peaceful, 80% turn out to cast votes

AIZAWL: Keeping up with their tradition of having high polling rates, 80% of the electorate exercised their franchise in Mizoram on Wednesday. Election Commission officials said the poll percentage may go beyond the 2013 figure 80.82% by the time reports from remote areas arrive. The total number of voters is 7,68,181.


Congress is fighting against Mizo National Front (MNF) and BJP to retain its last stronghold in the northeast. Talking to TOI, state's chief electoral officer (CEO) Ashish Kundra said polling was peaceful across the state. "Mizoram has once again demonstrated to the rest of India how to have a free and fair election. The civil society groups helped poll officials in conducting the electoral process smoothly," he added.

Since morning, the Christian-majority state saw brisk polling and long queues of voters were seen outside polling stations across the state till voiting ended at 4 pm. Serchhip, from where chief minister Lal Thanhawla is contesting, witnessed the highest turnout of 81%. In the 2013 election, 80.82% people had exercised their franchise.

At Kanhmun in Mizoram's Mamit district, displaced Bru voters from

Tripura

relief camps located up to 60 km from the Mizoram border started arriving much before voting began at 7 am. They were welcomed by volunteers of the Young Mizo Association (YMA) and other civil society groups with rice and pork curry. The EC had set up 15 polling booths for the refugees. Police personnel had a tough time in streamlining the entry of

Brus

who turned up in large numbers. Of the 11097 displaced Brus, 56.46% exercised their franchise. Polling at Kanhmun, unlike other places, ended at 3 pm.