Mizoram: Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar assesses state's poll preparedness

The Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Rajiv Kumar on August 30 reviewed poll preparedness in Mizoram, said an official statement.

As per the statement, after arriving in Mizoram, an Election Commission team led by Chief Election Commissioner with two Election Commissioners, Anup Chandra Pandey and Arun Goel, along with Nitesh Vyas, Sr. Dy. Election Commissioner, and two Dy. Election Commissioners, Hirdesh Kumar and R K Gupta, and 12 other high-ranking ECI officials, conducted meetings with various stakeholder groups, including representatives of political parties, government agencies.

The commission conducted meetings with representatives of the political parties, sought their opinions, and listened to their suggestions and requests relating to elections. 

''Also held meetings with various enforcement agencies. the Commission emphasizing the need for vigil over the interstate check posts across the neighboring states to ensure no cross-border movement of illicit cash, liquor, drugs, or freebies takes place,'' the statement added. 

The commission also asked the officials to step up the seizures with support from adjoining border states and instill fear of administration amongst the violators to fulfill the commission's resolve for an inducement-free election in the state. 

Besides this the commission also directed officials to keep a strict watch over social media for any violations or fake narratives vitiating the election atmosphere.

The Commission also conducted meetings with the Chief Electoral Officer and State Police Nodal Officer, District Election Officers, and Superintendent of Police of 11 districts, as well as meetings with the state authorities, including the Chief Secretary and Director General of Police, to oversee the level of preparation for the election, which was followed by a press conference.

The CEC during the press conference highlighted the initiatives taken by the commission for the conduct of free and fair elections and requested the media fraternity to actively contribute to the festival of democracy by creating awareness among the general public about active electoral participation and refraining from fake news and misinformation.

Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar stated that female voters outnumbered male voters, which is a very encouraging and positive part of Mizoram.

According to the ECI report, there are 1276 polling stations in Mizoram, out of which 22 are non-motorable and 19 are riverine polling stations accessible by boat. The average voter per polling station is 657.

There are a total of 8.38 lakh voters in the state, out of which 4.06 lakh are male and 4.32 lakh are female. There are 3,058 voters with disabilities, 9,190 voters over the age of 80, and 615 voters over the age of 100. A total of 40,934 are first-time voters who are between 18 and 19 years old.

Also read: Mizoram: Foreign cigarettes and liquor worth Rs 35.92 lakh recovered from Champhai district