Nearly 73 per cent polling in Mizoram

Around 73 per cent votes were cast in the Mizoram assembly polls on Wednesday but the figure is expected to rise as there were long queues of voters outside polling booths to exercise their franchise, Chief Electoral Officer Ashish Kundra said.

Polling was held in all the 40 assembly seats.

Kundra told reporters that the highest turnout of 81 per cent was reported at Serchhip seat, where Chief Minister Lal Thanhawla is one of the contestants.

At Kanhmun village in Mamit district bordering Tripura where Bru refugees lodged in Tripura camps cast their votes, 52 per cent of the 118987 electorate exercised their franchise, he said.

"This is satisfactory considering the circumstances," he said.

The polling in Kanhmun ended at 3 pm, while for the rest of the state the time was 4 pm.

"I congratulate the Mizo people for free, fair and peaceful elections. My special gratitude to the Mizo civil society, particularly Young Mizo Association. They helped the election authority in every possible manner... ," said Kundra, who had replaced S B Shahshank less than a fortnight before the polls.

Shahshank had been removed by the Election Commission following large-scale protests by civil societies after he complained against Mizoram's Principal Secretary (home) Lalninmawia Chuaungo for playing an active role in the revision of electoral roll of Bru refugees lodged in the Tripura camps since 1997.