• By Kamal Kumar
  • Tue, 07 Nov 2023 09:44 AM (IST)
  • Source:ANI
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Mizoram Election 2023:  The Chief Minister of Mizoram, Zoramthanga, failed to cast his vote in the Mizoram assembly elections due to a malfunction in the electronic voting machine. He went to cast his vote in the morning hours today at 19-Aizawl Venglai-I YMA Hall polling station under the Aizawl North-II assembly constituency.

"Because the machine was not working. I was waiting for some time. But since the machine could not work I said that I will visit my constituency and vote after the morning meet," the Chief Minister said speaking to ANI.

"To form the Government, 21 seats are needed. We hope that we will be able to get more than that, maybe 25 or more. That is our hope. I believe that we will have a comfortable majority," he added.

"Even with the COVID which there was a great problem all over the world, we fought more or less successfully against COVID. In the Covid period all over the world, it was a fight for survival. Despite that, here in Mizoram, we have done a lot of developmental work on the social, political and government side. Therefore, I believe that in order to continue the works that we have laid down we shall be able to form the Government," he said.

After getting out from the polling booth the Mizo National Front (MNF) President said that there will not be a hung Assembly in Mizoram and his party will form the government.

"It will not be a hung Assembly. It will be an MNF government. I have full confidence in that." he said.

Zoramthanga said that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is not an alliance partner of the MNF though the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) which the MNF is a part of, is at the Centre.

"BJP is not an alliance partner. NDA is there in the Centre. Here in the state, we don't have any alliance with BJP or any other party. So far they have not approached us, we have not approached them. We are only a partner of the NDA in the Centre, here in the state we support the NDA even on an issue-based," he says.

Zoramthanga emerges as a key player in this election, notably having secured victory in Aizawl East - I during the 2018 assembly elections. He is once again vying for the same constituency in the current election.

The Mizoram Assembly polling commenced on Tuesday, with the counting scheduled for December 3. The voting period began at 7 a.m. on Tuesday and will extend until 3 p.m.

A total of 174 candidates are competing in the elections. According to the CEO of Mizoram, the overall number of electors in Mizoram is 8,51,895, with 4,12,969 being male, 4,38,925 being female, and one individual identifying as a third gender. Additionally, there are 4,973 service voters in Mizoram.

(With inputs from Agencies)

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