Mizoram Elections: Vote counting date rescheduling requested to Election Commission by Churches’ body

• Image Credit: Prag News

• Nov 4, 2023 | Poonam Nath

Church organisations, political parties, and NGOs wrote to the Election Commission last month to request that the counting date...

Digital Desk: Churches, civil society organisations, and political parties are persistent in their request to move the election date for the upcoming elections to the 40-member Mizoram parliament, which is taking place in four days, as stated by a church leader on Friday.

Church organisations, political parties, and NGOs wrote to the Election Commission last month to request that the counting date, which was set for December 3, be moved because that day falls on Sunday, a holy day for Christians.

The Mizoram People's Forum (MPF), a church-sponsored poll watchdog, the Mizoram Kohhran Hruaitute Committee (MKHC), the NGO Coordination Committee—a coalition of significant civil society organisations and student bodies—and political parties met jointly on Thursday night and decided to reschedule the date of counting to December 4 or 5, the leader stated.

He added that the decision to resubmit an appeal to the Election Commission asking for a different counting date was made at the meeting.

It also resolved to hold the next series of meetings to determine the next line of action if the Election Commission does not respond within 24 hours of the appeal's submission, he said.

MKHC leaders, a conglomerate of prominent churches in the state, re-submitted a request to the Election Commission via the state Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) on Friday to reschedule the counting date.

The leader also stated that measures will be taken to guarantee that voting does not take place on Sunday.

Meanwhile, campaigning for the state assembly reached a fever pitch, with political groups hurling accusations and counter-accusations.

Mizoram elections will be held on November 7. Zoramthanga, the chief minister and president of the ruling Mizo National Front (MNF), has already stated that his party will retain power and win 25 or more seats.

The opposition Zoram People's Movement (ZPM) and Congress are similarly optimistic about winning the legislative elections.

Although there are three major parties- MNF, ZPM, and Congress- political commentators predict that the forthcoming assembly elections will be a clear fight between MNF and ZPM, which emerged as MNF's main opponent to Congress.