Polling 'peaceful', no report of any violence from anywhere in Mizoram

Mizoram Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Ashish Kundra Thursday said the provisional figure on the voter turnout in the election to the lone Lok Sabha seat and by-poll to the Aizawl West-I seat was 61.29 per cent at five pm and was most likely to go up. The CEO said that the final and exact figure would be available only after all the electronic voting machine (EVMs) reached the district headquarters.

He said polling was peaceful and there was no report of any violence from anywhere in the state. "Many of the polling stations were too remote and communication problem persisted even as wireless communication back-up was in place, especially in the southernmost Lawngtlai district," he said.

Kundra said those voters who had entered the polling area at five pm would be allowed to exercise franchise which would definitely increase the poll percentage. The final poll turnout at the 15 special polling stations in Mizoram-Tripura border Kanhmun village established for 12,081 Bru voters lodged in the six relief camps in North Tripura district was 33.54 per cent and could still go up, the CEO said. Six candidates are in the fray for the Lok Sabha seat and three nominees for the Assembly byelection.

(With inputs from agencies.)