Aizawl: Elections to the Aizawl Municipal Corporation (AMC) will be held on April 21, the Mizoram State Election Commission (SEC) announced on Wednesday, setting the stage for a closely watched contest in the 19-member urban body.
State Election Commissioner H. Lalthlangliana, addressing a press conference in Aizawl, said polling will take place across all 19 wards from 7 am to 5 pm. In the event of any disruption, re-polling has been scheduled for April 23, while counting of votes will be conducted on April 27.
According to the election schedule, the last date for filing nomination papers is March 25. Scrutiny of nominations will be carried out on March 27, and candidates will have until March 30 to withdraw their nominations.
Although the current term of the municipal body expired on March 1, the SEC deferred the elections citing overlapping administrative priorities.
Political activity has already intensified ahead of the polls. The opposition Mizo National Front (MNF) has announced its full list of candidates, while the Congress has so far declared 13 nominees for the 19 seats. The ruling Zoram People’s Movement (ZPM) is expected to release its list of candidates on March 23.
SEC data shows that the electorate comprises over 2.39 lakh voters across the 19 wards, including approximately 1.26 lakh women.
In the previous AMC elections held in February 2021, the MNF secured a majority with 11 seats, followed by the ZPM with six seats, while the Congress won two seats.