Cong wins Mizoram seat after re-poll counting

Congress nominee and Parliamentary Secretary for Tourism, H Zothangliana, was declared elected today after results of re-poll in Tialdawngilung polling station in south Mizoram's Lawngtlai East constituency.

Zothangliana defeated his nearest contestant Vanupa Zathang of Mizo National Front (MNF) by a margin of 273 votes, increasing Congress' tally to 34 in the 40-member Mizoram Assembly for which election was held on November 25.

With this the distribution of seats in the Assembly has come to Congress with 34, MNF with 5 and Mizoram People's Conference with one.

Zothangliana secured 198 votes out of the 207 votes polled in the re-poll held yesterday at Tialdawngilung polling station, while Zathang secured eight votes and one vote was for 'None of the Above' (NOTA).

There were 257 votes in the polling station of which 210 votes were polled on November 25.

Re-poll was ordered by Election Commission after the electronic voting machine in the polling station was found to be defective and the votes could not be counted on December nine along with the rest of the state.