Mizoram shows how to hold election

AIZAWL, November 26 (Agencies): It is hard to believe that Mizoram goes to the polls in less than a fortnight. There is no customary fanfare associated with elections to be seen or heard here. Party flags can be seen occasionally and are mainly those of the Congress, which is usually given its full name here, the Indian National Congress (INC).
Other visible signs of an imminent poll, officials, are nowhere to be seen, since many officials are close relatives of candidates in the electoral fray. Friends and family are all out in their respective constituencies, rustling up voters for elections due on December 2. An official in the chief minister’s office said: “The CM will now be back only after the polls,” indicating that everything is now on hold.
However, while the state goes to the polls in December, some of its electorate has already cast its vote. These are the Bru tribals now in Tripura, who cast their votes in two phases, the first on November 24. The second round will be held on November 26, Lalmalsawma, chief electoral officer, Mizoram, said.
“We have clubbed them into two categories, with three camps in south Tripura and three camps in north Tripura. For the duration of the postal ballot, we will send two teams, one based in Mizoram to cover the north Tripura camps and the other based in Kanchanpur sub-division for the other camp,” he said.
Mizoram’s just under 6 lakh electorate comprises 3.08 lakh women voters and 2.90 lakh men. However, despite women voters out-numbering the men, there are only nine women candidates of a total of 206 candidates contesting the 40 seats.
The Congress is fielding 40 candidates, the Mizo National Front (MNF) 39, Union minister Ram Vilas Paswan’s Lok Janata Party (LJP) 39, the United Democratic Front (UDA) 38, with 36 Independents. This is the first time there are so many Independents, mainly people who were denied tickets by their respective parties.
While the state’s chief electoral officer admitted to some worries over the movement of armed insurgent groups from Manipur into Mizoram, he said the EC has turned down the state’s request for additional security. The Assam Rifles mans the international border with Burma and the Border Security Force is deployed on the Bangladesh border. The low decibel campaign, local residents claim, is the norm and not an aberration.
“Door to door campaigning is frowned upon since it makes it easier for candidates to use money power. Instead, candidates hold street corner meetings where voters can ask questions. Also, candidates are using cable television to hold debates moderated by journalists,” said a resident. The televised debates are civil and each candidate is allowed a full say with no interruptions or raised voices.

PM evokes 'Gandhi magic' in Mizoram

AIZAWL, November 26 (Agencies): At a packed Assam Rifles ground in Aizawl, PM Manmohan Singh unleashed a bitter attack on Zoramthanga's MNF Government, charging it with failure on every count particularly the education and power sectors. Saying that Congress did not believe in a pointless blame game, Manmohan said the failure of Zoramthanga's government was there for all to see.
Manmohan also called himself a man from the Northeast and said: "It's always a proud moment for me to re-affirm the enduring ties of love and affection that bind Congress with the people here. As you know, I am an MP from Northeast and consider myself an adopted son of the region."
Continuing his tirade against the MNF government, the PM said, "The Central Government made grants of more than Rs 3,800 crore to Mizoram between 2004-08. But its utilization by the state government has been poor." It was not Congress's policy to discriminate between states as far as financial assistance was concerned, he added.
Referring to the various schemes of the UPA government, Manmohan said the MNF government got its rightful share which was squandered.
The PM said he was alarmed to see that even programmes meant for the poor were mismanaged. "There are allegations of irregularities by the state government machinery even in NREGS and the loan waiver scheme; funds meant for tribal welfare have been squandered," Manmohan Singh alleged. He appealed to the Mizo people to form a Congress government and punish the MNF for its failures.
Donning a typical Mizo waistcoat and a traditional Mizo bag, Manmohan drove home the point that he was perfectly aware that the Mizos have a soft corner for the Gandhi family. He, therefore, did not forget to mention the "Gandhi magic" during his first election meeting in Mizoram. "Mizoram has a close relationship with Congress. Our beloved former PM Rajiv Gandhi was instrumental in ending years of insurgency and violence in the state," he said, adding, "The people of Mizoram responded magnificently to the call and wholeheartedly joined the national mainstream."