Mizoram assembly elections: Polling party leaves for Bru relief camps

Aizawl, Nov 17: Polling party numbering around 100 officials, including 74 desk and seven nodal officers, today left for the six relief camps in the state to conduct polling for the Bru voters lodged there.

Bru voters were allowed to exercise franchise following a High Court orders

Mizoram election department officials said that elaborate security arrangements were made for the polling officials as some members of the Mizo Students Union (MSU) reportedly were trying to obstruct the polling party from reaching the relief camps.

The Election Commission instructed the state election department to make arrangements for Bru voters in Tripura to exercise franchise through postal ballots in their respective camps on November 19 and 20.

Election to the 40-member Mizoram Assembly would be held on November 25 and the EC directed that arrangements should be made so that the Bru voters could cast their votes before November 25.

Mizoram-Tripura border Mamit District SP Rodingliana Chawngthu told PTI over phone that around 45 MSU activists went to the border village of Kanhmun to make efforts to stop the polling party. Chawngthu said that he did not expect any problem as elaborate security arrangements were made to ensure the safe passage for the polling party.

The MSU leaders said that they did not object to the exercise of franchise by Bru voters, but opposed the casting of votes outside the state.

The Chief Election Commissioner V S Sampath recently clarified that the Bru voters were allowed to exercise franchise following a High Court order in 1999.

There were 11,612 voters in the Bru relief camps belonging to three districts and spreading over nine assembly constituencies.

PTI