Mizoram: Aizawl municipal polls likely in April-May

Aizawl: The Mizoram State Election Commission (SEC) is likely to hold elections to the Aizawl Municipal Corporation (AMC) in April or May, even as the current term of the civic body expires on March 1, a senior official said on Friday.

State Election Commissioner Dr H. Lalthlangliana said the municipal polls have been deferred due to time constraints arising from the state budget session and school examinations scheduled for February and March.

He explained that the expiry of the AMC’s term has coincided with the end of the current financial year, making it difficult for the poll panel to conduct elections before March 31. “All officials involved in the election process will be occupied with official work related to the budget session, examinations and the financial year-end,” he said.

The state budget session is slated to begin on February 17, though its duration is yet to be finalised by the Business Advisory Committee headed by Assembly Speaker Lalbiakzama.

“Considering these factors, the commission has decided to hold the AMC elections after the budget session or after the close of the financial year, likely in April or May,” Lalthlangliana said.

He also noted that the commission believes the election cycle of the AMC needs to be reviewed, as it frequently clashes with the budget session and the end of the financial year. The municipal polls, he added, have been deferred on several occasions in the past for similar reasons.

With the AMC’s current term ending on March 1, Lalthlangliana said the state government will appoint an administrator or caretaker to exercise the powers and functions of the municipal corporation until the elections are held.

Meanwhile, preparations for the polls have been underway since last year. The final electoral roll was published on January 7, showing more than 2.39 lakh voters, including around 1.29 lakh women, spread across 19 wards in the AMC area.

On the political front, the opposition Congress has already released its first list of candidates for 13 of the 19 seats. The ruling Zoram People’s Movement (ZPM) and the main opposition Mizo National Front (MNF) are yet to announce their candidates.

In the last AMC elections held in February 2021, the MNF emerged victorious with 11 seats, followed by ZPM with six seats and Congress with two.