Aizawl, April 1 (Agencies): The battle lines are drawn for elections to the lone parliamentary seat in Mizoram with the fight expected to be between the ruling Congress party and the independent candidate backed by a combine of the main opposition Mizo National Front (MNF) and Mizoram People's Conference (MPC).
Four candidates, C.L. Ruala of Congress, H. Lallungmuana, an independent supported by the MNF and the MPC, Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) nominee Lalawmpuia Chhangte, and independent candidate Rualpawla are in the fray for the April 16 parliamentary poll.
"The contest is expected to be between the ruling Congress aspirant and the MNF-MPC combine candidate although the Congress party is emerging as the frontrunner after the party swept the assembly elections last year," L.T. Sanga, a political analyst, told IANS. The Congress last won the Lok Sabha seat in Christian dominated Mizoram in 1996, when party veteran Silvera C bagged the seat defeating the MNF nominee by a margin of 14,481 votes. The MNF-MPC candidate Lallungmuana was a former MP from Mizoram. Sitting MP Vanlalzawma from the MNF has decided not to contest the elections this time.
In last year's assembly elections, the Congress won 32 seats in the 40-member house while the MNF bagged only three seats. The by-poll to the South Tuipui assembly segment will be held simultaneously with the Lok Sabha polls April 16. The seat was vacated by Chief Minister Lalthanhawla, who had won from two assembly segments in the Dec 2 assembly elections. Unlike most other Indian states, Mizoram also stands out for the fact that women voters here outnumber men. There are 318,150 women voters as against 311,005 men.
Mizoram chief electoral officer Lalmalsawma said: "Around 800 polling stations would be set up across the state that borders Myanmar and Bangladesh. There is no report of any untoward incident so far from any part of the state."
Source: http://www.morungexpress.com
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Refugees want to cast votes through EVMs
CORRESPONDENT | AGARTALA, April 1 – In a significant move, the Mizoram Bru Displaced People’s Forum (MBDPF), apex body of the Reang refugees has decided to demand voting rights of refugees through Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs).
Over 30,000 Reang people had to desert their homeland in Mizoram following ethnic clashes in 1997 and take shelter in North Tripura’s Kanchanpur subdivision. Of the total refugees, over 7,000 names were enrolled in the electoral rolls of seven Assembly constituencies in Mizoram.
The decision to use EVMs for refugee voters has been taken keeping in view of the last Assembly election’s bitter experience, said Elvis Chorkhey, general secretary of the MBDPF over telephone from Ashapara refugee camp, about 123 km from here on Wednesday.
In the last Mizoram Assembly polls - 2008, the State Election department issued postal ballots without pasting photographs of contesting candidates to 7,000 voters sparking outcry among the refugee voters.
In the wake of the demand, the Election Commission had directed the State Election department to print fresh postal ballots with images of contesting candidates to ensure polling in refugee camps.
Accordingly, the Mizoram poll panel had printed fresh postal ballots and distributed those among the voters. All the voters of refugee camps had exercised their democratic rights.
“This time, we don’t want to face any trouble in front of booths or designated places. We will place our demand to the Election Commission as well as Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) of Mizoram at the earliest”, he said.
Chorkey made it clear that voters of refugee camps want to vote through EVMs as it appears trouble-free to the voters.
Interestingly, no leader of political parties in Mizoram, which will go to the parliamentary elections on April 16 landed at refugee camps for poll campaign.
“We are expecting that leaders of different political parties would visit refugee camps for election campaign. We will vote for any political party if it ‘promises’ to solve the vexed problem”, he added.
Source: http://www.assamtribune.com/scripts/details.asp?id=apr0209/ne7
.::. All my articles can be view here: MELTED HEARTS .::.
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Four candidates, C.L. Ruala of Congress, H. Lallungmuana, an independent supported by the MNF and the MPC, Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) nominee Lalawmpuia Chhangte, and independent candidate Rualpawla are in the fray for the April 16 parliamentary poll.
"The contest is expected to be between the ruling Congress aspirant and the MNF-MPC combine candidate although the Congress party is emerging as the frontrunner after the party swept the assembly elections last year," L.T. Sanga, a political analyst, told IANS. The Congress last won the Lok Sabha seat in Christian dominated Mizoram in 1996, when party veteran Silvera C bagged the seat defeating the MNF nominee by a margin of 14,481 votes. The MNF-MPC candidate Lallungmuana was a former MP from Mizoram. Sitting MP Vanlalzawma from the MNF has decided not to contest the elections this time.
In last year's assembly elections, the Congress won 32 seats in the 40-member house while the MNF bagged only three seats. The by-poll to the South Tuipui assembly segment will be held simultaneously with the Lok Sabha polls April 16. The seat was vacated by Chief Minister Lalthanhawla, who had won from two assembly segments in the Dec 2 assembly elections. Unlike most other Indian states, Mizoram also stands out for the fact that women voters here outnumber men. There are 318,150 women voters as against 311,005 men.
Mizoram chief electoral officer Lalmalsawma said: "Around 800 polling stations would be set up across the state that borders Myanmar and Bangladesh. There is no report of any untoward incident so far from any part of the state."
Source: http://www.morungexpress.com
-------------------------------------------
Refugees want to cast votes through EVMs
CORRESPONDENT | AGARTALA, April 1 – In a significant move, the Mizoram Bru Displaced People’s Forum (MBDPF), apex body of the Reang refugees has decided to demand voting rights of refugees through Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs).
Over 30,000 Reang people had to desert their homeland in Mizoram following ethnic clashes in 1997 and take shelter in North Tripura’s Kanchanpur subdivision. Of the total refugees, over 7,000 names were enrolled in the electoral rolls of seven Assembly constituencies in Mizoram.
The decision to use EVMs for refugee voters has been taken keeping in view of the last Assembly election’s bitter experience, said Elvis Chorkhey, general secretary of the MBDPF over telephone from Ashapara refugee camp, about 123 km from here on Wednesday.
In the last Mizoram Assembly polls - 2008, the State Election department issued postal ballots without pasting photographs of contesting candidates to 7,000 voters sparking outcry among the refugee voters.
In the wake of the demand, the Election Commission had directed the State Election department to print fresh postal ballots with images of contesting candidates to ensure polling in refugee camps.
Accordingly, the Mizoram poll panel had printed fresh postal ballots and distributed those among the voters. All the voters of refugee camps had exercised their democratic rights.
“This time, we don’t want to face any trouble in front of booths or designated places. We will place our demand to the Election Commission as well as Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) of Mizoram at the earliest”, he said.
Chorkey made it clear that voters of refugee camps want to vote through EVMs as it appears trouble-free to the voters.
Interestingly, no leader of political parties in Mizoram, which will go to the parliamentary elections on April 16 landed at refugee camps for poll campaign.
“We are expecting that leaders of different political parties would visit refugee camps for election campaign. We will vote for any political party if it ‘promises’ to solve the vexed problem”, he added.
Source: http://www.assamtribune.com/scripts/details.asp?id=apr0209/ne7
.::. All my articles can be view here: MELTED HEARTS .::.
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