Mizo civil societies, student bodies call for poll boycott

Aizawl: Civil societies and student bodies today decided to boycott elections to the lone Mizoram Lok Sabha seat to be held on April 9 and called for a 72-hour statewide bandh from April 7, protesting against voting by displaced Bru tribals from relief camps in Tripura.
A meeting of the Young Mizo Association (YMA) central committee, the Mizo Hmeichhe Insuihkhawm Pawl (MHIP) or Mizo Women’s Federation, the Mizoram Upa Pawl (MUP) or Elders’ Association, the Mizo Zirlai Pawl (MZP), Mizo Students’ Federation and the Mizo Students’ Union (MSU) on Friday decided to call the 72-hour bandh from 5am on April 7 protesting the voting process in the camps.
J Lalsailova, treasurer of YMA told PTI that the joint meeting of the civil societies appealed to any candidate who got elected after counting of Bru votes to resign immediately.
He said though the meeting did not specifically mentioned boycott of the elections, enforcement of the bandh covering polling day and polling hours meant nothing else.
MZP president Lalhmachhuana also stressed the bandh would be enforced all over the state. Bru voters enlisted in Mizoram’s electoral rolls cast their votes since April 1 till Thursday in six relief camps of North Tripura despite strong objection from civil societies in Mizoram and the turnout was estimated at 71.04 per cent. The polling was conducted by election officials of Tripura and supervised by seven nodal officers from Mizoram through postal ballots. (PTI)