Election official asked not to hear claims of Bru voters in Mizoram

Aizawl: Mizoram's NGO Coordination Committee and representatives of all major political parties on Monday urged the state chief electoral officer not to conduct hearing on claims and objections of Bru voters in the six Tripura relief camps till the repatriation process is completed.

In a meeting convened by Manisha Saxena, the NGO Coordination Committee leaders said they would not allow conduct of special summary revision of voters' lists in the relief camps as they are situated outside the state.

Meanwhile, the Election Commission of India instructed the state election department not to release final publication of the voters' list unless the hearing on Bru voters in the relief camps were conducted.

The state election department notified the final publication of voters' lists only in 31 assembly constituencies and was compelled to withhold the final publication of nine assembly constituencies covering three districts till April 30, as directed by the ECI.

The final publication of voters' list was withheld in all the three assembly constituencies of Mamit, all the three constituencies of Kolasib and three of seven constituencies in Lunglei district.

The NGOs and political parties in the state have been insisting that Brus lodged in the Tripura relief camps should return and those who refused to be repatriated should be disfranchised in Mizoram electoral rolls and should be allowed to settle down in Tripura.