Aizwal:
As the north-eastern state of Mizoram voted to elect a new Assembly today, Chief Minister Pu Lalthanhawla said the 'None Of The Above' or NOTA option, introduced for the first time in the electronic voting machines, is "of no use" for the people of his state.
"I personally feel that NOTA is of no use. Pardon my saying this but in the other parts of the country, people may be backward. But in Mizoram, everyone is educated and they know who to vote for. So I don't see why NOTA should be used here," the Chief Minister told reporters, adding that this was his "personal opinion."
Polling began for the 40-member Mizoram Assembly at 7 am today. By 11 am, 36.63% voters had cast their vote. Brisk polling was reported from many polling stations in Aizawl where long queues were seen in front of the booths in Mission Veng and Thakthing areas even before the elections
began.
Mr Lalthanhawla and all his 11 ministers are among the 142 candidates in the fray. The four-time Chief Minister is now aiming to lead the Congress into a second straight government. He faced an aggressive campaign from the opposition Mizo National Front, who targeted the veteran leader for taking part in Hindu rituals.
Speaking to reporters after casting his vote, he said he was confident of retaining power in the state. "I have high hopes that we will retain power with a thumping majority by bagging the same number of seats (32) if not more," he said.
Counting of votes will take place in the state on December 9.