AIZAWL: The high voltage campaign for the Mizoram assembly ended on Sunday without any law and order issue, an election official said.
Polling for the 40-member Mizoram assembly will be held simultaneously with the Chhattisgarh assembly (first phase) on November 7 and votes will be counted on December 3.
Additional Chief Electoral Officer H. Lianzela said that campaigning for the assembly elections ended at 4 p.m. on Sunday and there was no report of law and order problems during the campaign.
As per the Election Commission directive a 48-hour ‘silent period’ will be observed from Sunday 4 pm to Tuesday 4 pm during which any form of electioneering, public meetings, press conferences by political parties, interviews and panel discussion in electronic or print media has been strictly prohibited after the deadline.
Print media are also not allowed to publish political advertisements without prior permission after the deadline, he said.
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During the silent period, selling and consumption of alcohol and drugs and conducting opinion polls are strictly prohibited, he said.
Conduct of the ‘exit poll’ is prohibited from November 7 (poll day) till 6:30 pm on November 30.
The official said that Mizoram has 1,276 polling stations, of which 149 have been declared P-2 or not easily accessible by road or remote polling stations.
Officials to be deployed in such polling stations have started leaving for their destination on Sunday, he said.
1,127 polling parties to be on duty at P-1 will leave for their destination on Monday.
Around 30 polling stations especially along the inter-state border and internal boundary are declared critical and vulnerable.
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Adequate security measures have been taken across the state and along the international border with Bangladesh and Myanmar, a senior police officer said.
Mizoram shares a 510-km long porous border with Myanmar and 318 kilometres with Bangladesh.
At least 3,000 policemen and 450 sections of Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) have been deployed for the Mizoram assembly polls, the senior police officer said.
1 section of CAPF comprises 12 personnel and 450 sections means 5,400 personnel.
Most political parties organised functions to mark the closure of political canvassing on Saturday as campaigns end on Sunday, which is sanctified for worship service by the Christian community in Mizoram.
However, parties were busy making the last pitch to woo the voters on Sunday.
In the last stage of the campaign, anti-BJP or non-alignment with the Saffron party has become the main poll issue of political parties.
Ruling Mizo National Front (MNF), which is part of the BJP-led NDA at the Centre, and the Zoram People’s Movement (ZPM) tried to distance themselves from the Saffron party.
During the electioneering, prominent figures from the Centre, including Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, Union Minister of Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari, Union Ministers Sarbananda Sonowal and Kiren Rijiju visited the state and campaigned for BJP candidates.
Failing to make inroads in Mizo heartland, the BJP concentrated on linguistic minority areas, especially among Bru, Chakma, Lai and Mara people in the western and southern parts of the state.
Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi, Jairam Ramesh and Shashi Tharoor had also campaigned for party candidates.
During the campaign, MNF tried to capitalise on the issue of refugees and internally displaced people from Myanmar, Bangladesh and Manipur, Mizo sub-nationalism and highlighted the development that has taken place in the northeastern state in the last five years despite financial constraints triggered by COVID-19 pandemic.
Opposition, on the other hand, highlighted the failure of MNF in fulfilling its promises, including the implementation of the flagship programme-Socio Economic Development (SEDP), and the construction of flyovers and good roads, among others.
More than 8.57 lakh electorates, including 4,39,026 females, will decide the fate of 174 candidates, of whom 18 are women.
The ruling Mizo National Front (MNF), main opposition party Zoram People’s Movement (ZPM) and Congress have fielded 40 seats each.
The BJP has fielded 23 seats and the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), which is contesting for the first time, fielded 4 seats.
Besides, there are 27 candidates, who are contesting as independents.