Mizoram voted for all 40 seats of its legislative Assembly on Tuesday, with the polling taking place without any untoward incident. The state witnessed a high voter turnout in the morning, with 49.2 per cent of registered voters casting their votes by 11 am. By 4 pm, the figure had gone up to 76.53 per cent. The final turnout figure was not available as of 9.05 pm, with state election officials saying polling was not yet closed in six polling stations. Chief Minister Zoramthanga experienced a glitch when he first tried to cast his vote at Ramhlun Venglai Primary School in Aizawl North II in the morning. He said he was unable to register his vote because the EVM was not working. Later, he returned to the polling booth and was able to vote. Speaking to reporters, he expressed confidence that voters would bring another Mizo National Front government to power in the state. “From the political atmosphere, I believe that we should be able to form the government… We have finished only one term. Normally, [in Mizoram, a party forms government for] at least two terms – 10 years. But the most important thing is how you perform… I certainly believe we shall be able to form the government on our own,” he said. The man seen as his primary challenger, Lalduhoma from the Zoram People’s Movement, did not vote on Tuesday as he spent the day in his constituency Serchhip, which is around 90 km away from Aizawl, where he is registered to vote. “Not only in my constituency, the turnout is quite good throughout the state, which is a good sign for us. The better the turnout, the higher our chance, because it means that not only are party people voting, but also that the neutrals are coming forward to vote for change,” he told The Indian Express. This election has been seen as a triangular contest between the MNF, the ZPM and the Congress, which is trying to recover from its poor performance in 2018 when it was knocked out of power and brought down to third place. The BJP is also aiming to expand its presence in the state, largely by focusing on areas that have sizeable Bru and Chakma minority voters.
