Aizawl, April 18 (PTI) A total 85 candidates are in the fray for the 25-member Mara Autonomous District Council (MADC) poll in Mizoram's Siaha district scheduled to be held on May 5, an official said on Monday.

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Siaha Deputy Commissioner Lalsangliana, who is the returning officer for the council poll, told PTI that the ruling MNF has fielded candidates for 25 seats, BJP for 24, Congress 23 and Zoram Peoples Movement in eight seats. Five independents are also in the fray.

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Lalsingliana said preparation for the upcoming council poll, for which EVMs will be used, is on and allotment of symbols besides issuing of the final voter list to contesting parties will be undertaken on Tuesday.

Counting of votes for the MADC will be held on May 9.

MADC is one of the three ADCs in southern Mizoram and was constituted in 1972 for the Mara people living in the state.

The council has 25 elected and three nominated members.

In the last council poll held in May 2017, Congress had won majority by securing 17 seats, while the MNF and Mara Democratic Front (MDF) combine won seven. An independent candidate had also been elected.

In October 2017, the MDF merged with BJP.

The council came under BJP in June 2019 after all its Congress members, barring two defected to the saffron party, which now has 17 members in the 25-member council. MNF has six members.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)