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.
Dear Reader,
Over the past four years, EastMojo revolutionised the coverage of Northeast India through our sharp, impactful, and unbiased coverage. And we are not saying this: you, our readers, say so about us. Thanks to you, we have become Northeast India’s largest, independent, multimedia digital news platform.
Now, we need your help to sustain what you started.
We are fiercely protective of our ‘independent’ status and would like to remain so: it helps us provide quality journalism free from biases and agendas. From travelling to the remotest regions to cover various issues to paying local reporters honest wages to encourage them, we spend our money on where it matters.
Now, we seek your support in remaining truly independent, unbiased, and objective. We want to show the world that it is possible to cover issues that matter to the people without asking for corporate and/or government support. We can do it without them; we cannot do it without you.
Support independent journalism, subscribe to EastMojo.
Thank you,
Karma Paljor
Editor-in-Chief, eastmojo.com
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.
Also Read |
Trending Stories
- Students form 10% of AIDS cases in Tripura, says CM
- Mizoram election counting postponed: See new date here
- Nagaland: Hornbill Festival begins in Kisama, thousands attend
- Manipur CM returns after signing historic peace pact with Centre, UNLF
- Shillong Teer Result today: Check winners of Shillong Teer for December 01
- Khanapara Teer Result today: Winners of Khanapara Teer December 01
