Mizoram by-election sees 61.98 percent polling

Aizawl: The Mizoram assembly bypoll for Aizawl North III constituency on Saturday saw 61.98 percent of the voters exercising their franchise.

There were three candidates for the by-election which was caused by the resignation of former health minister Lal Thanzara on August 18.

Candidates who contested the polls are Thanzara (Congress), K. Vanlalvena (Mizo National Front) and Lalduhoma (Zoram Nationalist Party).

According to election officials, there were a total of 13,791 voters in the constituency. The counting of votes will be held on Tuesday.

Thanzara, who is the younger brother of Mizoram Chief Minister Lal Thanhawla, had resigned after a media group exposed that he was allegedly holding 21.6 percent shares in Sunshine Overseas, a road construction company, which was awarded most of the government contracts in Mizoram in the past three years.

Thanzara, however, pleaded complete innocence over the allegations and said that he had stepped down on moral grounds.