Aizawl: Mizoram’s ruling party Mizo National Front (MNF) on Tuesday swept the bypoll to Tuirial assembly seat by securing 39.96 percent of the total 14,561 votes polled.
Four candidates had contested bypoll to Tuirial seat held on October 30.
Election officials said that counting of votes began at 8 am at Government Kolasib College under strict COVID-19 proctors.
According to bypoll verdict announced on Tuesday, MNF candidate K. Laldawngliana defeated his nearest opponent Laltlanmawia of Zoram People’s Movement (ZPM) by a margin of 1,284 votes.
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Laldawngliana secured 5,820, while Laltlanmawia slipped to 4,536 votes (31.15%).
Congress candidates Chalrosanga Ralte finished at third by securing 3,927 (26.96%) and BJP nominee K. Laldinthara managed to secure 246 votes, which is 1.68 per cent of the total votes polled.
There are 17,911 electorates in Tuirial constituency and 81.29 per cent of them have cast their votes in the bypoll held on October 30, election officials said.
None of the 663 Bru voters, who are living in Tripura transit camps, cast their votes, they said.
Poll pundits said that Tuirial bypoll was one of the hottest contests in assembly bypoll in the political history of the state.
This is the third bypoll in the present term.
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In April 2019, the ruling MNF had won bypoll to Aizawl West-I seat but lost the bypoll to Serchhip seat in April this year to ZPM candidate Lalduhoma, who retain the seat after his disqualification under the anti-defection law in November 2020.
The bypoll to Tuirial seat was necessitated due to the death of its incumbent MLA Andrew H. Thangliana in August. In the present 40-member assembly, the ruling MNF now has 28 members, Congress (5), ZPM and BJP has 1 member each and there are 5 independent MLAs, who gave their allegiance to the ZPM.
Though originally belonged to ZPM, the 5 MLAs had contested and won the last assembly polls on independent tickets as the ZPM had not obtained registration at that time.
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