76 candidates file nominations for Chakma Council Election

Aizawl, Apr 26 April (Zoram News): Mizoram witnesses 76 candidates filing nominations for Chakma Autonomous District Council (CADC) elections, scheduled for May 9. The Mizoram State Election Commission Deputy Secretary R Vanrengpuia confirmed that the election commission received a total of 76 nominations.

The ruling Mizo National Front (MNF) and opposition BJP have fielded 20 candidates each, while Congress has filed 22 candidates with two substitutes, and Zoram People’s Movement (ZPM) has given tickets to 13 nominees. One independent candidate has also filed nomination for the council polls.

The council, created under the sixth schedule of the Constitution in 1972 for the welfare of the Chakma tribal people in Mizoram, has 24 constituencies, out of which four are nominated seats. The last council polls in April 2018 resulted in a hung house, with MNF emerging as the single-largest party by winning eight seats, while the Congress bagged six, and the BJP won five seats.

If all the Congress nominees clear the scrutiny, the two substitute nominees will be dropped from the list. The nomination papers were scrutinised on Tuesday, and the last date for withdrawal of candidatures is April 27. A total of 35,885 voters, including 17,677 women, are eligible to exercise their franchise in the polls in which EVMs will be used. The counting of votes will take place on May 11.