Aizawl Municipal Corporation polls likely in April–May as term ends on March 1

Elections to the Aizawl Municipal Corporation (AMC) are likely to be held in April or May, even as the current term of the civic body is set to expire on March 1, Mizoram State Election Commissioner H. Lalthlangliana said on January 16. 

He said the polls could not be conducted before the expiry of the term due to a combination of administrative and scheduling constraints.

Addressing reporters, Lalthlangliana said the municipal elections would have to be deferred as the state is set to witness the budget session of the Assembly and school examinations during February and March. He added that the end of the AMC’s five-year term coincides with the close of the current financial year, making it difficult for the State Election Commission to organise the polls within the stipulated timeframe.

The budget session of the Mizoram Assembly is scheduled to begin on February 17, though its duration is yet to be finalised by the Business Advisory Committee chaired by Assembly Speaker Lalbiakzama. Lalthlangliana said that during this period, officials who would otherwise be engaged in election-related duties would remain preoccupied with legislative, examination and financial year-end responsibilities.

“Due to the upcoming budget session, examinations and the closure of the current financial year, all officials who will be involved in the elections will be occupied with their office work. Therefore, we have decided to conduct the municipal polls after the budget session or after the closure of the financial year, likely in April or May,” he said.

The State Election Commissioner also observed that the election cycle of the AMC needs reconsideration, as it frequently clashes with the budget session and the end of the financial year. He noted that AMC polls had been deferred on previous occasions as well for similar reasons.

With the AMC’s term ending on March 1, Lalthlangliana said the state government would appoint an administrator or caretaker to exercise all functions and powers of the municipal corporation until the elections are held and a new body is constituted.

He said preparatory work for the polls has been underway since last year, and the final electoral roll was published on January 7. According to the final roll, there are more than 2.39 lakh voters in the AMC area, including around 1.29 lakh female voters, spread across 19 municipal wards.

Political activity around the civic polls has already begun, with the opposition Congress releasing its first list of candidates for 13 of the 19 AMC seats earlier this week. The ruling Zoram People’s Movement and the main opposition Mizo National Front are yet to announce their candidates.

In the last AMC elections held in February 2021, the Mizo National Front emerged as the single largest party by winning 11 seats, while the Zoram People’s Movement secured six seats and the Congress won two.