32 Congress Candidates Elected Unopposed in Village Council Polls

Aizawl, Feb 25 : Thirty-two Congress candidates have been declared elected unopposed to six village councils in Mizoram’s Chakma Autonomous District as the district readies to face rural body polls for 71 other rural bodies on Wednesday.

The BJP, for the first time, has fielded more candidates than state parties: the national party has little of a base to speak of in Mizoram where it has never won a single seat in any election, but this one appears to mark a watershed in its operations, albeit in an area dominated by a minority.

A statement by the State Election Commission said on Tuesday that 32 Congress candidates did not face any competing candidates in six village council areas and have therefore been declared elected unopposed.

The SEC also gave the figures of each competing party’s candidates – 480 for Congress, 187 for BJP, 148 independents and 108 for the Mizo National Front. Neither the Mizoram People’s Conference nor the Zoram Nationalist Party have fielded candidate for the 481 seats up for grabs in the rural polls.

The Chakma areas of southern Mizoram have been a traditional Congress stronghold, but the BJP has this year attempted to make inroads in the region. It has recently welcomed several veteran politicians from both the Congress and MNF into its fold.