AIZAWL: Altogether 174 candidates, including 16 women candidates, have filed nominations for the upcoming 40-member Mizoram assembly polls slated for November 7, election officials said on Saturday (October 21).
All the candidates from ruling party in the state Mizo National Front (MNF), main opposition Zoram People’s Movement (ZPM) and Congress have filed their nomination papers, they said.
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The three parties have fielded 40 candidates each.
25 incumbent legislators are among the MNF nominees, while ZPM also fielded 6 sitting MLAs.
23 BJP candidates and 4 nominees of Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) have filed their nominations, while 27 candidates submitted their papers as independents.
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The MNF, ZPM and Congress have fielded 2 women each, while the BJP nominated 3 women.
There are 7 women candidates contesting as independent and Lalruatfeli Hlawndo and Lalramdingngheti, both independent, have filed nomination from two constituencies each.
Also read: Mizoram CM Zoramthanga confident of retaining power, says MNF has no link with RSS
Scrutiny of nomination papers will be undertaken on Saturday and the last date for withdrawal of candidature is October 23.
Polling for the Mizoram assembly will be held in a single phase on November 7 and counting of votes will take place on December 3.
Earlier, political parties, churches, civil society organisations and student bodies have urged the Election Commission to reschedule the counting date as it falls on Sunday, which is a sacred day for Christians, which account more than 87 per cent of Mizoram population.
The Election Commission is yet to respond to the pleas.
A total of 8,56,868 electorates, including 4,38,925 female voters will exercise their franchise in the forthcoming assembly polls in Mizoram.
In the last assembly polls in Mizoram held in November 2018, MNF had bagged 26 seats, ZPM secured 8 seats with its chief ministerial candidate Lalduhoma winning two seats, Congress bagged 5 and BJP opened its account winning one seat.
Later, the MNF defeated incumbent ZPM in two assembly by-polls raising its tally to 28.