Aizawl: Polling for the 12-member Sinlung Hills Council (SHC) will take place on November 5, according to a report in The Mizoram Post quoting Mizoram State Election Commissioner H. Lalthlangliana on Thursday.
Lalthlangliana mentioned that the last date for filing nominations is October 10, while October 14 has been set as the deadline for withdrawal of candidature, as per a notification issued by the state election commission. Scrutiny of nomination papers is scheduled for October 11.
Voting is scheduled from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. on November 5, with the counting of votes to begin immediately after polling ends and ballot boxes are transported to the constituency headquarters.
As per the final electoral roll published on September 30, there are 23,789 registered voters in the Sinlung Hills Council area, including 11,914 women. The SHC area has 38 polling stations, with 16 stations near the Assam and Manipur borders classified as critical. Lalthlangliana assured that sufficient police forces would be deployed to ensure the elections are conducted fairly and peacefully.
On the political front, the ruling Zoram People’s Movement (ZPM) and Hmar People’s Convention (HPC) have formed a pre-poll alliance. ZPM will contest 8 of the 12 seats, while HPC will field candidates for the remaining 4 seats, according to ZPM president Lalliansawta.
According to the report, the SHC covers 12 constituencies across 31 villages in the Hmar-dominated northeastern region of Mizoram, which spans the districts of Aizawl, Kolasib, and Saitual. In the last election held on November 5, 2019, the Mizo National Front (MNF)-HPC alliance won 10 seats, while two independent candidates secured the remaining seats. However, there have been frequent shifts in the council’s power dynamics, with the ZPM-HPC alliance currently in power.
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