Voting begins for Mizoram and Chhattisgarh Assembly polls

PM Modi urged people to vote in large numbers and strengthen the festival of democracy as polling began for the Chhattisgarh and Mizoram Assembly polls

PGurus Newsdesk

November 7, 2023

PM Modi urged people to vote in large numbers and strengthen the festival of democracy as polling began for the Chhattisgarh and Mizoram Assembly polls

Election season kicks off in India as Chhattisgarh and Mizoram go to polls

Amid tight security, voting for the Mizoram and Chhattisgarh Assembly elections began on Tuesday morning, election officials said.

The polling would continue in 1,276 polling stations across Mizoram till 4 p.m. without any break. In Chhattisgarh, 20 out of 90 Assembly seats are going to polls in the first phase. Voting for the rest of the 70 seats in Chhattisgarh will take place on November 17.

The counting of votes will take place on December 3.

As voting in Mizoram and Chhattisgarh began, Prime Minister Narendra Modi appealed to the voters to vote in record numbers and also urged the first-time voters to exercise their franchise and strengthen the festival of democracy.

In a post on X, PM Modi called upon the voters in Mizoram to vote enthusiastically and said, “I call upon the people of Mizoram to vote in record numbers. I particularly urge the young and first-time voters to exercise their franchise and strengthen the festival of democracy.”

Appealing to the voters in Chhattisgarh, the Prime Minister said, “Today is the sacred festival of democracy in Chhattisgarh. I request all the voters of the first phase of the Assembly elections to cast their votes and become participants in this festival. On this occasion, my special congratulations to all the young friends of the state who voted for the first time.”

At least 3,000 policemen and 5,400 personnel of the Central Armed Police Forces have been deployed for the polls, the official said. A senior police officer said that security has been tightened across the state, especially along international borders with Bangladesh and Myanmar.

In all 8,57,063 voters, including 4,39,026 female voters, would decide the electoral fate of 174 candidates, including 16 women.

The ruling Mizo National Front (MNF), the main opposition Zoram People’s Movement (ZPM), and the Congress have fielded candidates in 40 seats each while the Aam Aadmi Party is contesting four seats and 27 independent candidates are also in the fray.

The BJP has fielded candidates in 23 seats with a special focus on linguistic minority inhabited areas, especially where the Reang and Chakma tribal communities are in reasonable numbers in the voters’ list.

Additional Chief Electoral Officer, H Lianzela, said that 4,832 polling personnel have been engaged to conduct the balloting in 1,276 polling stations across 11 districts.

[With Inputs from IANS]

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