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Over 73% voting recorded in incident-free Mizoram Assembly polls (Evening Lead)
Aizawl, Nov 28 (IANS) Over 73 per cent of the 7.68 lakh Mizoram voters on Wednesday exercised their franchise to elect a new Assembly, a top election official said.
“Little over 73 per cent of the 7,68,181 voters cast their votes by the end of schedule balloting hour at 4 p.m. However, the percentage might go up to 77-78 per cent as a large number of voters are still in queues at many polling stations in different parts of the state,” Chief Electoral Officer Ashish Kundra told the media.
Long queues of colourful motley crowd were seen outside many polling booths across districts well before the voting began at 7 a.m.
“Conducive situation and favourable climate helped the electorate exercise their franchise smoothly,” Kundra said, adding that around 25 EVMs (Electronic Voting Machines) and VVPAT (Voters Verifiable Paper Audit Trail) devices malfunctioned, but no untoward incident has been reported so far.
The CEO said that several voters aged above 100 cast their votes with the help of their family members at different polling stations.
Sharing borders with Myanmar (510 km) and Bangladesh (318 km), mountainous Mizoram is the last Congress-ruled state of the eight northeastern states.
Chief Minister and state Congress head Lal Thanhawla, and former Chief Minister and MNF President Zoramthanga cast their votes in Aizawl.
The ruling Congress led by the incumbent Chief Minister and state party chief Lal Thanhawla is aiming for a third consecutive term despite a stiff challenge from the main opposition Mizo National Front (MNF) headed by Zoramthanga.
Both Congress and MNF have fielded candidates in all the 40 Assembly constituencies.
The Congress has been in power, except for 10 years, ever since Mizoram became a full-fledged state in 1987. The MNF, a constituent of the BJP-led North East Democratic Alliance (NEDA), ruled during those 10 years — 1998-2003 and 2003-2008.
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is also trying to make its presence felt as it has fielded 39 candidates — its highest ever.
Many regional parties, including Meghalaya’s ruling National People’s Party (NPP), have fielded candidates for most of the 40 seats.
Women voters have once again outnumbered the men in Mizoram. There are 3,93,685 women and 3,74,496 men and they will decide the fate of 209 candidates, 15 of whom are women.
The Election Commission has set up 15 special polling stations at Kanhmun, a village along the Mizoram-Tripura border, to facilitate voting by Reang tribal refugees, sheltered in Tripura for the past 21 years.
“The BSF (Border Security Force) and Assam Rifles troopers have been asked to further tighten the security along Mizoram’s borders with Bangladesh and Myanmar,” a Mizoram Election Department official earlier said.
Votes will be counted on December 11, along with four other poll-bound states — Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Telangana and Chhattisgarh.
–IANS
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Dr. Abhishek Verma Dedicates a Shelter in Memory of His Mother, Veena Verma, at KGMU; Inaugurated by Daughter Nicolle Verma
World-renowned business tycoon Dr. Abhishek Verma has supported Foodman Vishal Singh’s Hunger-Free World mission. In memory of his mother, Late Veena Verma, who was a 3 term Rajya Sabha MP.
Dr. Verma dedicated a state-of-the-art free permanent shelter for the attendants of patients at KGMU Medical University, Lucknow, under the aegis of Vijay Shree Foundation. His daughter, Nicolle Verma, inaugurated the shelter.
During the event, Foodman Vishal Singh honored Nicolle Verma by presenting her with a memento. Mrs. Nidhi Sharma and Avantika Yadav, associated with the organization, welcomed her with garlands. Following this, Nicolle Verma distributed essential items to the attendants and also handed out fruits. She became emotional remembering her grandmother on her birth anniversary.
On this occasion, she also inaugurated the “Veena Verma Sevalaya” in memory of her grandmother, Veena Verma, to serve the attendants. She expressed, “I feel proud that my family is engaged in nation-building as well as social service. Today, in collaboration with Vijay Shree Foundation founder Foodman Vishal Singh Ji, I feel immensely proud to dedicate this shelter for the poor, helpless, and needy attendants of patients battling serious illnesses like cancer. I am honored to be associated with the Hunger-Free World Mission for humanity.”
Inspired by the continuous humanitarian service provided by Vijay Shree Foundation over the past 17 years, Nicolle Verma donated 10 lakh rupees to support the cause. The purpose of this donation is to ensure that services continue for the needy attendants of patients suffering from severe illnesses in hospitals, as facilitated by Foodman Vishal Singh.
It is noteworthy that Dr. Abhishek Verma’s family has a legacy of public and philanthropic service. They are helping millions to carry forward the values and service work of their parents. On the occasion of his mother’s birth anniversary, Dr. Abhishek Verma dedicated this state-of-the-art permanent shelter at Lucknow Medical College to serve the attendants of patients through the Vijay Shree Foundation.
Supporting Foodman Vishal Singh’s Hunger-Free World mission, Dr. Abhishek Verma assured that he would continually support keeping this flame of humanity alive. He also promised to assist in providing medicines to the helpless patients.
Continuing her grandmother’s legacy of service, Nicolle Verma personally served food to the needy patients and attendants. She said, “It is our good fortune to have received the joy of doing this noble work today through Foodman Vishal Singh. I have taken another step forward in carrying my family’s values and cooperation by joining hands with the Vijay Shree Foundation. My father taught me to serve and help the needy, and I feel happy when I bring a smile to someone’s face.”
On the birth anniversary of the late Veena Verma, the event organizer, Vijay Shree Foundation founder Foodman Vishal Singh, said, “We feel proud and happy that Dr. Abhishek Verma, a globally renowned business tycoon, has extended his support to uplift our country from the hunger index. Today, on his mother’s birth anniversary, he inaugurated a state-of-the-art permanent shelter at Lucknow Medical College, which will always be helpful for the needy attendants of patients. It is a pleasure for me and the organization to receive the affection of Mr. Verma.”
The event was attended by General Manager Verma Family Office Hemant Garg, Sonu Rajput, and the organization’s volunteers, including Sandeep Singh, Parmeshwar Ji, Prashant Rao Gautam, Balram Singh, Ramesh Chaudhary, Suman, Jeetu, Anil, Suraj, Vinay, Manish Bhadauria, Manas Mehrotra, Vivek, Apurv, Happy, and others.
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