Aizawl, Apr 19 (Reporter) Around 30.63 percent of the 8,56,364-strong electorate exercised their rights over the first four hours for the Lok Sabha polls in Mizoram as voting proceeded peacefully across the 1,276 polling stations in the state on Friday, officials said. Voting began at 7 a.m. Voter turnout at 9 00 a.m. was 17.59%, which increased to 30.63 percent in the next two hours. Historically, Mizoram has grappled with lower voter turnout during Lok Sabha elections compared to Assembly polls. In a proactive response to this trend, the Election Department launched an extensive voter awareness campaign for ensuring greater participation in the parliamentary polls. Expressing concern over the possibility of low voter turnout, State Chief Electoral Officer Madhup Vyas implored government employees to fulfill their civic duty by casting their votes. Speaking at a press conference here on Friday, Vyas said the government has declared polling day a public holiday to facilitate seamless participation in the electoral process. He urged government employees to exercise their franchise, saying it is their duty both as government employees and as citizens...////...