Mizoram votes to elect lone MP, six candidates in fray

The EC had set up 15 exclusive polling booths in the village for Bru refugees from Mizoram who are housed in six camps in neighbouring Tripura.

The fate of six candidates for the Lok Sabha seat would be decided by an electorate of 7,78,777 on Thursday. Three nominees are also in the fray for bypoll to the Aizawl West-I assembly seat.

The EC had set up 15 exclusive polling booths in the village for Bru refugees from Mizoram who are housed in six camps in neighbouring Tripura. (AFP)

There are 1,175 polling stations across the state and 15 special polling stations have been set up at Mizoram-Tripura border Kanhmun village, where 12,081 Bru voters lodged in the Tripura relief camps would cast their votes.

The EC had set up 15 exclusive polling booths in the village for Bru refugees from Mizoram who are housed in six camps in neighbouring Tripura. The step had been taken in the November 2018 Mizoram assembly polls too.

Upset over the alleged special treatment to Bru voters, the powerful NGO Coordination Committee (NCC) in Mizoram had called for a poll boycott .

All the polling parties have reached their respective polling stations to conduct election to the lone Mizoram Lok Sabha seat and bypoll to the Aizawl West-I assembly seat on Thursday, an official said.

Mizoram’s Joint chief electoral officer H Lianzela told PTI that 4,409 security personnel, including 12 companies of central armed police force, 20 companies of state armed police and 22 companies of unarmed police have been deployed for the polls.