2013 Mizoram Assembly Election Polling Today Monday Nov 25,2013

Polling to elect a new Assembly in Mizoram began at 7 A.M Monday Nov 25,2013 with the main contenders - ruling Congress and opposition Mizoram Democratic Alliance comprising MNF, Mizoram People's Conference and Maraland Democratic Alliance - contesting at all 40 seats

Other contesting parties are -

• Zoram Nationalist Party (ZNP, 38 seats)
• BJP (17)
• NCP (two) and 
• Jai Maha Bharath Party (one)
• four independent candidates.

All the seats are reserved for ST nominees, except Lunglei South which is for general candidates

With the population of 10.91 lakh, Mizoram is the only state in India where women voters outnumber men by 9,806 in the total of 690,860. In all, there are 350,333 women voters against 340,527 male ones.

There are six women candidates - three fielded by BJP, one each by Congress and MNF and one rebel MNF candidate.

There are 1,126 polling stations in the state, of which 94, mostly in border areas, have been identified as 'critical' where security has been beefed up

An additional 31 companies of central para-military forces and state police of neighbouring states have been deployed to oversee the polls apart from seven armed battalions of the state police

For the first time in the country, a voter-verifiable paper audit trail (VVPAT) system will be tried in this election on a larger scale, in 10 constituencies

 It was first experimented in an Assembly by poll in  Nagaland in Sep 2013

Chief Minister Lal Thanhawla (Congress) is contesting from two constituencies - Serchhip, his home turf, and neighbouring Hrangturz

Opposition MNF leader and former Chief Minister Zoramthanga (MNF) is trying his luck from Tuipui East bordering Myanmar

In Mizoram, over 81% of polling was reported around 6 PM and was expected to go higher. The fate of 142 candidates, including Chief Minister Lal Thanhawla and his 11 ministers, was sealed in election to the 40-member assembly.

The previous high turn-out in the 2008 assembly elections was 82.35 % in Mizoram

Polling ended at 3.30 pm with an estimated turnout of 80 per cent of the 6.9 lakh voters, state Joint Chief Electoral Officer H Lalengmawia said


The Congress, which had won 32 seats in 2008, has fielded 31 of the sitting MLAs. Only Nirupam Chakma was replaced by BD Chakma, chief executive member of the Chakma Autonomous District Council.
                                                 Seats won in 2008 election