AIZAWL, May 22 - Political parties and the six candidates in the fray for the lone Lok Sabha seat in Mizoram are keeping their fingers crossed as the stage is set for counting of votes on Thursday that will decide their fate.
There is a two-cornered fight in the State�s lone seat with the ruling Mizo National Front nominating C Lalrosanga and the Congress-Zoram People�s Movement (ZPM) alliance fielding Lalnghinglova Hmar. Though the ZPM and the Congress fought the Assembly elections against each other, they sealed a deal against the BJP and its allies for the Lok Sabha elections as the BJP, which won one seat in the Assembly elections in 2018.
The BJP has fielded veteran politician Nirupam Chakma, while the PRISM party fielded former Navy sailor TBC Lalvenchhunga.
There are two Independent candidates � Lalhriatrenga Chhangte and Lalthlamuani Sailo, who is also the lone woman candidate.
The constituency went to polls in the first phase of the Lok Sabha elections on April 11.
Mizoram election officials said today that the election machinery is fully prepared for the counting. State�s Joint Chief Electoral Officer H Lianzela said that counting for the Lok Sabha election and the Assembly by-poll would be held in 40 counting halls in 10 centres across Mizoram. �There will be three counting centres in Aizawl and one each in the seven district headquarters,� he said.
In Aizawl, counting will be held at the Assembly Annexe, R Dengthuama Hall and Government Aizawl College.
According to the Joint Chief Electoral Officer, there will be 387 counting tables with one counting supervisor, one counting assistant and one micro-observer per table. He also said that there will be two additional micro-observers to assist the observers. The officer also said that altogether 1,321 officials would be deployed for counting.
Aizawl Deputy Commissioner and Returning Officer Vanlalngaihsaka said that the results are likely to get delayed on the counting day due to the introduction of the electronically transmitted postal ballots system for service voters.
He also said that there would be a pre-counting hall for scanning electronically transmitted postal ballots at the Assembly Conference Hall in Aizawl where 40 tables would be manned by one counting superviser and counting assistant each.
According to the Returning Officer, there are a total of 4,687 service voters in the State. As many as 3,119 votes have been received till Monday. Electronically transmitted postal ballots will be entertained till the counting begins, he said.
