Aizawl: Political parties and prominent Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) in Mizoram appealed to the Election Commission of India (ECI) to reconsider December 3 (Sunday) as the vote counting day for the upcoming Mizoram Legislative Assembly elections citing religious concerns.
The decision to submit a formal request was reached during a meeting held on Wednesday.
Representatives from the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Mizo National Front (MNF), Mizoram Pradesh Congress Committee (MPCC), People’s Conference (PC), Zoram Nationalist Party (ZNP), Zoram People’s Movement (ZPM), and various NGO representatives, including the Mizo Hmeichhe Insuihkhawm Pawl (MHIP), Central Young Mizo Association (CYMA), Mizo Upa Pawl (MUP), Mizo Hmeichhe Insuihkhawm Pawl (MHIP), Mizo Zirlai Pawl (MZU), and Mizo Students’ Union (MSU), signed a letter addressed to the ECI.
In their collective appeal, the political parties and NGOs requested Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar to change the date scheduled for counting votes. This appeal comes in light of the decision to conduct vote counting on a Sunday, which has raised concerns within the Mizoram community which is a Christian state.
Earlier, Congress President Lalsawta and B Lalhmangaihzuala, the Joint Secretary of the Mizo National Front had urged the ECI to reconsider the selection of Sunday as the counting day, citing concerns over it being a disregard for Christian beliefs, as Sunday holds significant religious importance in Mizoram.
Madhup Vyas, the Chief Electoral Officer of Mizoram, clarified that the decision to set December 3 as the counting date was made during the visit of ECI officials to Mizoram on August 29 and 30.
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During these meetings, all political parties in the state had collectively urged against scheduling poll-related activities on Saturdays and Sundays due to their religious significance.
When questioned by EastMojo about the selection of Sunday as the counting date, Madhup Vyas, the Chief Electoral Officer of Mizoram, clarified that during the visit of the Election Commission of India (ECI), all political parties in the state had collectively urged against scheduling poll-related activities on Saturdays and Sundays. However, he noted that the decision to set December 3 as the counting date remained consistent across all five states conducting elections.
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