AIZAWL, Oct 15: The Election Commission of India (ECI) is yet
to respond to pleas made by political parties, churches, civil
society organisations and student bodies of Mizoram to
reschedule the date for counting of votes in the state, a
senior official of the election department said on Sunday.
Mizoram chief electoral officer (CEO) Madhup Vyas told PTI
that his office was yet to receive any response from the
central poll panel regarding the request till now.
Additional CEO H Lianzela also said the election commission,
which is likely to seek a comment from the state election
department on the issue of change in counting date, is yet to
respond.
He said some organisations and political parties have sent
letters directly to the ECI, while others have put forward their
request through the CEO.
“We will forward the requests of those organisations to the
election commission this week,” he said.
He said preparations for the upcoming assembly polls are
going on in full swing.
On October 9, the ECI had announced the schedule for
assembly elections in five states, including Mizoram.
Polling for the 40-member Mizoram assembly will be held on
November 7 and counting of votes for all the five states will
take place on December 3, which is Sunday.
Seven political parties, including ruling Mizo National Front
(MNF) and BJP and civil society organisations and student
bodies, including Central Young Mizo Association (CYMA),
had jointly written to the ECI on October 12 urging the
central poll panel to reschedule the counting date.
The letter said almost 90 per cent of the state’s population is
Christian and Sunday is a sacred day for the people.
“We the Mizos devoted solely to the worship of God on
Sunday. No official programme or business is held on Sunday
in Mizoram,” the letter signed by presidents of all political
parties and NGOs had said.
Earlier, the MNF and the BJP and Mizoram Kohhran Hruaitute
Committee (MKHC), a conglomerate of major churches in the
state, had appealed to the ECI to change the counting date.
Christians account for around 87 per cent of the population
of Mizoram according to the 2011 census. (PTI)
