The countdown for Assembly Election 2023 has begun as the polling dates for Mizoram and Chhattisgarh phase 1 is just two days away. The voting for 40 assembly constituencies in Mizoram and polling for 20 seats of the 90-member Chhattisgarh assembly of the first phase will be held on 7 November. The campaigning for Mizoram Assembly elections and the first phase of Chhattisgarh Assembly polls will come to an end today.
The second phase of the remaining 70 seats in Chhattisgarh assembly will be held on 17 November. The counting of the votes will be held on 3 December.
The term of the Mizoram legislative assembly ends on 17 December 2023 while the term Chhattisgarh legislative assembly ends on 3 January 2024.
According to the latest report released by the Associate of Democratic Reforms (ADR), BJP has the largest share of candidates with criminal backgrounds who will be contesting in the upcoming Chattisgarh state assembly elections. Out of the all the candidates, 26 disclosed a criminal case on them. 25% of BJP contestants have a criminal record, the report showed. The report also highlighted that a total of 46 candidates (21%) have net worth in crores.
Congress has fielded more high asset value candidates than its competitors as 17 out of 20 candidates are crorepatis as compared to 14 (70 percent) out of 20 candidates from BJP, 3 (30 percent) out of 10 candidates analysed from AAP and 2 (13 percent) out of 15 candidates from Janta Congress Chhattisgarh (J). The state which is currently governed by the Congress-led Bhupesh Baghel’s government is under the ED scanner as it has claimed that that the promoters of the illegal Mahadev betting app had paid CM Baghel ₹508 crore.
In Mizoram, BJP leader and election co-in-charge for Mizoram, Anil Antony has exuded confidence in winning the assembly polls in the northeastern state, claiming that the party is poised to achieve its best-ever performance in the polls. “BJP is contesting 23 seats here, and we are very confident that we will be strongly contesting and winning most of the seats we are contesting here, and I can assure you that this will be our best ever performance in the state of Mizoram…” Anil Antony told news agency ANI. This time, the Zoramthanga-led MNF has a slight advantage, but the Zoram People’s Movement is predicted to be a significant player in the upcoming elections. As per the Chief Electoral Officer office, till Saturday, as many as 2,058 votes have been cast through home voting and 7,497 votes through postal ballots at designated facilitation centres. The home voting method for the 2023 Mizoram Legislative Assembly elections has been expanded to several state districts, enabling PwD and senior citizens (80 years of age and above) to cast votes. Poll workers, other officials, and those providing necessary services are all voting at the same time using postal ballots.
2018 Mizoram polls:
In the 2018 election, the Congress and MNF contested all 40 seats, with the MNF winning 28 and the Congress bagging five. The BJP contested 39 seats and won a single seat, while ZPM candidates, who ran as independents, secured six seats. Since Mizoram’s separation as a state in 1987 after years of insurgency, state politics has been dominated by the Congress and Mizo National Front (MNF) and has been alternately ruled by both parties.
2018 Chhattisgarh polls:
One of the most triumphant victories recorded by the Congress in recent years was the 2018 poll battle in Chhattisgarh. In 2018, Congress won 68 seats out of 90 in Chhattisgarh, garnering a vote share of 43.9 percent whereas, the BJP managed to win 15 seats and gather vote share of 33.6 percent.
(With PTI, ANI inputs)
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Updated: 05 Nov 2023, 10:38 AM IST