AIZAWL, April 24 - Election to the Chakma Autonomous District Council in southern Mizoram witnessed a hung council, with none of the three contesting parties � Congress, Mizo National Front (MNF) and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) � being able to cross the halfway mark of 11 seats in the 20-seat council.
The main Opposition MNF emerged as the single largest party by bagging eight seats, followed by the Congress with seven seats (including one who has been declared elected uncontested), while the BJP�s tally stands at five.
Election to the Chakma council was held on April 20 and the results were declared today. While the election was a big blow to the Congress which was in power in the last council with a comfortable majority of 17 seats, it also marked a significant outcome for the BJP as it has opened its account with five seats.
Both the ruling Congress and the Opposition MNF contested all the 20 seats. The BJP contested 19 seats, and there were nine Independent candidates.
Speculations are rife that the MNF and the BJP, its ally in the North East Democratic Front (NEDA), would form a coalition government, but leaders of both the parties refused to make any comment on this.
