Mizoram CM, church groups ask EC to prepone bypoll dates

AIZAWL: Chief Minister Zoramthanga and church groups (Mizo Conference of Seventh Day Adventist Church and Serchhip Thalai Pawl) has written to the Election Commission (EC) on Thursday seeking deferment of polling and counting dates of bypoll which is slated for April 17.

According to reports, CM Zoramthanga also requested a one-day or two-day postponement of the counting date.

In his letter, the chief minister asked the poll body to postpone the election to April 16 because the data set is a Sabbath for the Seventh Day Adventist Church in Mizoram.

This church is home to a large number of people in the state, and many of them will not vote if the election is held on April 17.

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He claims that Sabbath is as important as Sunday to the Seventh-Day Adventist Church as it is to Christians of all denominations, and that the preponement will allow all voters to exercise their right to vote in the upcoming by-election if the date prepones by one day.

“Sabbath observers refrain from secular activities on that day (Saturday),” said the Seventh Day Adventist Church in the letter. Holding the bypoll on Saturday meant its serchhip supporters will be unable to vote, they added.

Mizoram's main opposition party, the Zoram Peoples Movement, and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) wrote to the EC claiming that the EC's polling and counting dates have been set on holy days for Christians.

According to the announcement made by EC on Tuesday, voting for Serchip is slated for April 17, and counting for votes will take place on May 2.