Mizoram: Campaiging for lone LS seat ends

Triangular contest will be witnessed among the ruling Congress, AAP and UDF including the Mizo National Front and BJP

Campaigning for the lone Lok Sabha constituency in Mizoram, where polling would be held on April 11, ended at 5 pm today.

The lone Lok Sabha seat would witness a triangular contest among the ruling Congress, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and United Democratic Front (UDF), an alliance of eight opposition parties including the Mizo National Front (MNF), the main opposition party, and BJP.

The UDF also comprises Zoram Nationalist party, Mizoram People's Conference, Maraland Democratic Front, Hmar People's Conference, Paite Tribal Council, and NCP.

Congress has fielded its sitting MP C L Ruala, while UDF nominated Robert Romawia Royte and AAP put up Michael Lalmanzuala as its candidate for the Lok Sabha seat.

Besides the Lok Sabha election, by-poll to Hrangturzo Assembly seat would also be held simultaneously on April 11.

With the absence of any major issue, the ruling Congress urged voters to elect Ruala to strengthen the party at the Centre saying a Congress-led government at the Centre would be helpful to the state.

UDF's Royte, on the other hand, is banking on the hype around BJP's Prime Ministerial candidate Narendra Modi. UDF was also thinking that Royte would be a minister if NDA comes to power at the Centre.

Mizoram Lok Sabha seat has 7,02,189 voters, of whom 3,55,954 were women.

There are 1,126 polling stations in the state of which 385 polling stations, mainly in the urban areas, would use the VVPAT system.

Elaborate security arrangements have been made for the conduct of free and fair polls with additional eight companies of central para-military forces being deployed apart from six state armed battalions and unarmed policemen.

International borders with Myanmar and Bangladesh and inter-state borders have been sealed.