Mizoram: Chakma council polls to be held in May

Elections to the Chakma Autonomous District Council (CADC) in Mizoram will be held in May. 

The dates for the elections to the 20-member district council will be announced by the end of this month, State Election Commissioner (SEC) Laima Chozah said. 

"The CADC elections will be held in May soon after the expiry of the current term," Laima Chozah said. 

The present term of the council will come to an end in the first week of May, he added. 

Also Read: Mizoram municipal poll results: Zoram Peoples Movement wrests power from Mizo National Front, wins all 11 wards

The State Election Commission published the final rolls for the Chakma Council on Wednesday. There are 35,885 voters, including 17,677 women. 

Of the 20 constituencies, Kamalanagar 'N' has the highest number of voters at 3,533, while the Fultuli constituency has the least at 1,305. There are 70 polling stations within the council. 

The CADC was created in 1972 for the Chakma tribals living in the southwestern part of Mizoram. The last elections in April 2018 threw up a hung House. The Mizo National Front (MNF) won eight seats, Congress bagged six seats and the BJP won five. 

The Fultuli constituency, the election for which was countermanded, was won by Congress. Later, all members of Congress and the BJP defected to the MNF, bringing it to power. 

In December last year, the governor's rule was imposed in the council due to political instability.

Meanwhile, a 62-year-old retired school teacher, Lalzuithanga, will head the Lunglei Municipal Council (LMC) after the Zoram People's Movement (ZPM) swept elections, party sources said on Tuesday. 

Lalzuithanga, the councillor of ward-III, was unanimously selected as the chairman. K Lalrinawma, 37, of ward VII will be the vice-chairman, they said. 

ZPM party won all 11 seats in the first elections to the civic body that was created last year, in a significant setback to the ruling Mizo National Front (MNF) headed by chief minister Zoramthanga. 

Lalzuithanga, who retired as a school teacher in 2021, defeated his nearest opponent F Lalsawmkima of MNF by a margin of 456 votes. ZPM secured 49.31 per cent of the total votes polled, while the MNF managed to get 29.4 per cent of the votes.