Mizoram: 76 candidates have filed nominations for Chakma Autonomous District Council elections

AIZAWL-  A total of 76 candidates have filed their nominations for the upcoming Chakma Autonomous District Council (CADC) elections in Mizoram, an official said on Tuesday.

Polling for the 20-member district council will be held on May 9 and the counting of votes will take place on May 11.

Mizoram State Election Commission Deputy Secretary R Vanrengpuia told PTI that the ruling Mizo National Front (MNF) and opposition BJP have fielded 20 candidates each.

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The Congress has filed 22 candidates, two as substitutes, while Zoram People’s Movement (ZPM) has given tickets to 13 nominees, he said.

One independent candidate has also filed nomination for the council polls, he said.

Vanrengpuia said that Congress filing two substitute candidates is a normal procedure and it was done to fill in void in case some nominees don’t clear the scrutiny.

If all the Congress nominees clear the scrutiny, the two substitute nominees will be dropped from the list, he said.

The nomination papers will be scrutinised on Tuesday.

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Of the 20 MNF nominees, 10 are incumbent members, while ZPM fielded five incumbent members and Congress one. The BJP has also fielded an incumbent member and a former minister.

The last date for withdrawal of candidatures is April 27.

A total of 35,885 voters, including 17,677 women, are eligible to exercise their franchise in the polls in which EVMs will be used.

The CADC was created under the sixth schedule of the Constitution in 1972 for the welfare of the Chakma tribal people in Mizoram.

The council has 24 constituencies, of which four are nominated seats.

The last council polls held in April 2018 threw up a hung house with the MNF emerging as the single-largest party by winning eight seats, while the Congress bagged six and the BJP won five seats.

Later, the Congress’s tally increased to seven after it won a constituency, which was countermanded at the time of the elections.

The council came under a complete MNF rule before the governor’s rule was imposed in the council area in December last year due to political instability. The council is not bound by anti-defection law.