Mizoram sees 69.86 pc polling till 3 pm, Chhattisgarh registers 59.19 pc voter turnout for 20 seats

Aizawl/Raipur [India], October 7 (ANI): Mizoram recorded 69.86 per cent polling while 59.19 per cent voters exercised their franchise in Chhattisgarh in the first phase of polling in 20 assembly seats in the state, according to Election Commission data at 3 pm.
The poll panel data showed Bhanupratappur assembly constituency in Chhattisgarh recorded the voter turnout of 61.83 per cent, It was 68 per cent in Kanker, 73 per cent in Mohla-Manpur, 65.67 per cent in Antagarh and 60.11 per cent in Keshkal.
The polling started at 7 am for ten seats - Mohla-Manpur, Antagarh, Bhanupratappur, Kanker, Keshkal, Kondagaon, Narayanpur, Dantewada, Bijapur and Konta.
According to poll panel data, Antagarh saw polling percentage of 65.67, Bhanupratappur 61.83 per cent, Kanker 68 per cent, Keshkal 60.11 per cent, Kondagaon 69.03 per cent, Narayanpur 53.55 per cent, Dantewada 51.9 per cent, Bijapur 30 per cent and Konta 50.12.
Voting for the remaining assembly constituencies - Pandaria, Kawardha, Khairagarh, Dongargarh, Rajnandgaon, Dongargaon, Khujji, Bastar, Jagdalpur, and Chitrakote began at 8 am.
The polling will decide electoral fate of former Chief Minister Raman Singh and BJP leaders Lata Usendi and Gautam Uike. The prominent Congress leaders in fray in this phase include Mohammad Akbar, Savitri Manoj Mandavi, Mohan Markam, Vikram Mandavi and Kawasi Lakhma.
A total of 223 candidates, including 25 women, are in the fray in the first phase of Chhattisgarh polls. The Election Commission set up 5,304 polling booths for this phase in the state. The polling is taking place in Naxal-affected region of the state apart from some other seats .
Voting in the remaining 70 seats in Chhattisgarh will be held on November 17. Counting of votes will be taken up on December 3 in Mizoram and Chhattisgarh along with three other states.
Mizoram is going for polls in all 40 seats in the state.
According to poll data till 3 pm, Tuichang seat reported a voter turnout of 77.12 per cent, Tuikum 81.33 per cent, East TuiPui 75.12 per cent, and Lawngtlai West 76.44 per cent.
The polling started at 7 am for the 40-member state assembly elections.
Chief Minister Zoramthanga, who is chief of Mizo National Front, is seeking re-election from Aizawl East - I.
Zoram People's Movement (ZPM) chief Lalduhoma, a former IPS officer, who is also the party's chief ministerial candidate, is in the fray from Serchhip.
In the 2018 assembly elections, the Mizo National Front (MNF) secured 26 seats with a vote share of 37.8 per cent and ousted Congress from power.
The Mizo National Front, Indian National Congress and the Zoram People's Movement have fielded candidates for all 40 seats and BJP has fielded 23 candidates.
The polling percentage will go up in the two states as the final figures come in.(ANI)