Around 75 per cent votes were cast in the Mizoram assembly polls on Wednesday but the figure may rise as there were long queues of voters outside polling booths to exercise their franchise, Chief Electoral Officer Ashish Kundra said.
Polling was held in all the 40 assembly seats.
Kundra told reporters that the highest turnout of 81 per cent was reported at Serchhip seat, where Chief Minister Lal Thanhawla is one of the contestants.
At Kanhmun village in Mamit district bordering Tripura where Bru refugees lodged in Tripura camps cast their votes, 52 per cent of the 118987 electorate exercised their franchise, he said.
"This is satisfactory considering the circumstances," he said. The polling in Kanhmun ended at 3 pm, while for the rest of the state the time was 4 pm.
Altogether 7,70,395 voters will decide the fate of 209 candidates, including 15 women. The Congress and the MNF are the two key players although the BJP is also in the fray.
The saffron party has, however, never won a seat in the state and as such, it io. Despite fielding candidates in 39 seats, it has set its sights on some seats in areas of the ethnic minorities such as the Brus and the Chakmas.
1. Prohibition
The Congress government had lifted the ban on liquor in 2014, although it had regulated the amount of alcohol a person could buy. While the MNF has said it will bring back prohibition, the ruling Congress said it will take up a discussion on the issue with Church and youth groups.
2. New Land Use Policy
The Congress government's highly popular scheme provides Rs 1 lakh to farmers who own land for use in agriculture and allied sectors.
3. Bru refugees
The repatriation of Bru refugees who are lodged in six Tripura from 21 years is a promise that the BJP has made. It has a negligible presence in the state but has been making aggressive inroads.
4. Anti-incumbency
The Congress government is facing anti-incumbency over civic amenities such as the state of roads in the state. It has also been tainted with graft charges. The party found itself in the same situation in 1997.
The counting is scheduled for December 11.
50 per cent turnout in Mizoram till 1:30 pm, reports TNIE correspondant