Mizoram Sinlung Hills Council polls: Voting underway across 38 booths

Voting for Mizoram's 12-member Sinlung Hills Council election commenced at 7 am on November 5, with 38 booths set up across the region. The election is being held under tight security measures, according to an official.

Authorities have declared 16 polling stations, situated close to the Assam and Manipur border as "critical", while entry points in the area have been sealed to avoid untoward incidents.

The official informed that counting of votes will be held after 4 pm as soon as all ballot boxes reach constituency headquarters.

23,789 voters, including 11,914 women, are eligible to vote. 

Meanwhile, forty-nine candidates, including a woman, are in the fray.

The Zoram People's Movement (ZPM) and its ally, the Hmar People's Convention (HPC), have jointly fielded candidates for all 12 seats; with ZPM contesting 8 seats and HPC nominating 4 candidates. 

Meanwhile, the Mizo National Front (MNF) has fielded 10 candidates, with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) fielding one. Additionally, 14 independent candidates are in the race, including two from the Hmar People's Convention (Reformed), who are backed by the MNF.

The council, consisting of 12 constituencies spans 31 villages in the Hmar-majority northeastern region of Mizoram. It covers areas within three assembly constituencies: Aizawl, Kolasib, and Saitual districts.

In the last polls held in November 2019, the MNF-HPC combine bagged 10 seats, and the other two were won by independent candidates.

The SHC was established on July 9, 2018, as a result of the peace accord signed between the Mizoram government and the erstwhile underground outfit Hmar People’s Convention (Democratic) or HPC(D) on April 2 that year.

The council has 12 elected members and two nominated seats.
(With PTI inputs)