Mizoram NGOs to protest against Sunday vote counting

Aizawl: Mizoram NGO Coordination Committee (NGOCC), a conglomerate of major civil societies and student bodies, will stage massive protests across the state on Friday seeking rescheduling of counting of votes for state assembly polls.

This was decided at the meeting of the NGOCC held on Thursday evening, the committee general secretary Malsawmliana said. 

The meeting expressed disappointment over the Election Commission's deafening silence on the pleas from various quarters to reschedule the counting date as it falls on Sunday, which is a sacred day for Christians, who formed the majority of the state's population, he said. 

"The meeting of the NGOCC held on Thursday evening has decided to stage demonstration across the state on Friday to protect the sacred day of Christian as the ECI failed to make any response despite repeated appeals by all political parties, churches and NGOCC besides meeting the ECI officials in Delhi to reschedule the counting date," the committee also said in a statement. 

In Aizawl, the proposed peaceful demonstration will be held at Treasury square near Raj Bhavan between 11 am and 1 pm, the statement said. 

The protest will also be held in other district headquarters under the leadership of NGOCC, it said. 

When the ECI announced election schedules on October 9, it had fixed December 3 as the day for counting of votes for five states-Mizoram, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Rajasthan and Telangana.

However, political parties, NGOs, churches and other organisations in Mizoram did not welcome the ECI's schedule because it fell on Sunday and repeatedly appealed to the poll panel to change the counting date to ensure that it does not fall on Saturday or Sunday. 

According to the 2011 census, Christians constitute more than 87 per cent of Mizoram's population. 

On Monday, a five-member delegation of the NGOCC  met Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar and other officials in Delhi and appealed to them to defer the date of counting of votes for Mizoram.

Kumar on his part had told the NGOCC leaders that the matter will be discussed by full members of the Election Commission very soon as one election commissioner was not present at Monday's meeting. 

Polling for the 40-member Mizoram assembly was successfully held on November 7 where more than 80 per cent of over 8.57 lakh voters casted their votes  to decide the fate of 174 candidates. 

Election officials said that the election department, police machinery and the entire civil administration are fully prepared to conduct counting on Sunday.