Aizawl: A total of 76 candidates, including an independent, have filed nominations for the ensuing Chakma Autonomous District Council (CADC).
Polling for the 20-member district council will be held on May 9 and the counting of votes will take place on May 11.
The ruling Mizo National Front (MNF) has fielded 20 candidates, including 10 incumbent members. The BJP has fielded 20 candidates, including 1 incumbent member and former minister Nirupam Chakma.
The Congress has filed 22 candidates, two as substitutes, while Zoram People’s Movement (ZPM) has given tickets to 13 nominees. Of the 13 ZPM candidates, 5 candidates including former Chief Executive Member (CEM) Buddha Lila Chakma are existing members of the council.
An official of the Mizoram State Election Commission 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.
Scrutiny of nomination papers has begun from 3 pm on Tuesday, official said.
The last date for withdrawal of candidature is April 27 .
A total of 35,885 electorates, including 17,677 female voters, will exercise their franchise in the polls where EVM 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.
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The council has 24 seats, of which 4 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.
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