The Lai Autonomous District Council (LADC) elections saw a very high voter turnout on Thursday with 83.99 per cent of more than 47,000 voters casting their ballots. A senior election official said the polling went on smoothly and remained peaceful throughout the day.
Mizoram State Election Commissioner H. Lalthlangliana informed that voting began at 7 am and continued till 4 pm in all 111 polling stations. He said there were no law and order issues reported from any part of the district during the nine hours of polling.
According to the Election Commission, out of the total 56,873 registered voters, 47,769 people exercised their franchise in the council elections. Officials described the turnout as encouraging and said it reflected the people’s strong participation in the democratic process. 
However, the election day was marred by the death of a polling official. Lalthlangliana said Israel MS Dawngliana, aged 43, a resident of Council Veng in Lawngtlai, was found dead inside his room on Wednesday morning. He had been deployed at Lungtian-II polling station. While the exact cause of death is yet to be confirmed, officials suspect it may have been a heart attack. The commissioner expressed regret over the incident.
A total of 80 candidates, including 11 independents, are contesting this year’s LADC polls. The ruling Zoram People’s Movement (ZPM) has fielded candidates in all 25 seats, while the main opposition Mizo National Front (MNF) has put up 20 candidates. The Congress is contesting 14 seats, and the BJP has fielded candidates in 10 seats.
Counting of votes will take place on December 9.
In the last LADC elections held on December 4, 2020, the MNF—then the ruling party in the state—won 20 of the 25 seats. The BJP and the Congress won one seat each, while three independent candidates were also elected.
The term of the current council ends on December 18. The LADC, formed in 1972 under the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution, represents the Lai tribal community and comprises 25 elected members and 4 nominated members.
