Parties in Mizoram seek removal of state electoral officer

Major political parties in Mizoram today sent a letter to Chief Election Commissioner V S Sampath asking him to remove the state chief electoral officer (CEO) Ashwani Kumar from office.

Lalruatkima, general secretary of the opposition Mizo National Front (MNF) said, in the letter the parties have told the CEC that Kumar acted immaturely and irresponsibly in the meeting with leaders of the churches, NGOs and political parties while discussing about change of the dates for polling and counting of votes in the coming state Assembly polls.

"We also felt, he (Kumar) was making his own suggestions while forwarding our pleas to the EC on the issue," Lalruatkima said.

Representatives of churches, NGOs and political parties which submitted letters to the EC and the state CEO were invited for a discussion on change of polling and counting dates by Kumar in which he argued with the leaders and stuck to his own ideas and suggestions, he alleged.

Representatives of political parties walked out from the meeting as the CEO stuck to his guns and expressed his own ideas about change of polling date from December 4 to November 25, the day of polling for Madhya Pradesh, Lalruatkima said.

Representatives of political parties who were present in the meeting were from the ruling Congress, MNF, Mizoram People's Conference (MPC), Zoram Nationalist party (ZNP), BJP and Trinamool Congress.

The churches, NGOs and political parties wanted change in the polling date as it falls on the day when the Presbyterian Church is having its highest decision-making conference, the Synod, between December 3 to December 8 and the United Pentecostal Church - Mizoram (UPC-Mizoram) is also scheduled to hold its annual general conference during the same period which would result in thousands of people, including priests, unable to exercise franchise.

The proposed counting day, December 8, is a Sunday, the sacred day for majority of Christians who appealed the day be changed to any day except Saturday, the holy day for some denominations like the Seventh Day Adventist Church, and Sunday.