Aizawl, April 19 (Reporter) Around 43.35 percent of the 8,56,364-strong electorate have exercised their franchise for the Lok Sabha polls in Mizoram till 1.00 pm on Friday as voting is underway peacefully across the 1,276 polling stations in the state, officials said. The voting began at 0700 hours. Voters' turnout at 9.00 am was 17.59 per cent which was increased to 43.35 per ent in the next four hours till 1:00 pm. 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 Lok Sabha 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 held in Aizawl today, Vyas said that 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 a government employees and as citizens...////...