Elections for Mizoram's 40 Assembly seats will be held on November 7.
Credit: PTI Photo
Mizoram goes to polls on November 7, and Chhattisgarh will see its first phase of polling in what many view as the run-up to the 2024 Lok Sabha polls where the Narendra Modi-led NDA government faces a consolidated challenge from the newly-formed I.N.D.I.A Opposition.
Chhattisgarh will see its second phase of polling on Nov 17 along with Madhya Pradesh, while Rajasthan goes to polls on Nov 25, and Telangana on Nov 30.
The results are slated to be declared on December 3, and as soon as counting begins, all eyes will go to the bellwether seats to estimate the overall results.
A bellwether is an event or trend that shows how a more general situation will develop. In political terms, a bellwether seat is one where the constituency acts as a trend indicator of the entire geographical location. These seats predict the electoral mood of the state and can even predict which party or alliance will form the government.
While the BJP is open to post-poll alliances to form government in Mizoram, the Mizo National Front remains confident of returning to power, facing a new challenge this time from the Zoram People's Movement - who had fielded candidates as Independents in the last Assembly elections. Congress, meanwhile, has alleged that the MNF and ZNP are ways for the BJP-RSS to extend a foothold in the hill state.