GUWAHATI: The Mizoram Bru Displaced Peoples’ Forum has requested the chief election commissioner to carry out special summary revision of electoral rolls at the Bru relief camps in north Tripura and complete the process by January 25, the last date for filing claims and objections ahead of the parliamentary elections.
The forum had in this regard recently submitted a memorandum to chief election commissioner, Sunil Arora, with a request to direct the Mizoram election department to carry out special summary revision of electoral rolls at the seven relief camps in north Tripura.
The special summary revision of electoral rolls got under way in Mizoram from December 12, 2018 for the Lok Sabha elections in April this year.
According to an official notification from the Mizoram government, filing of claims and objections began on December 28, 2018 and will continue till January 25, 2019 while the final publication of electoral roll is scheduled for February 22, 2019.
“But unfortunately, no such revision has been conducted so far at the relief camps in north Tripura. Therefore, we request you to direct the state election department to carry out the special summary revision by the stipulated date,” it was stated in the memorandum.
The forum also urged the election commission for setting up polling booths inside the relief camps for the parliamentary elections as several voters had to experience hardships and trouble commuting to the special polling booth at Kanhmun (on the Tripura-Mizoram border) to cast their votes in the November 28 Assembly election last year.
“As per our assumption, the Bru voters faced many problems on voting day. Many elderly people, pregnant women, physically weak and sick persons could not turn up at the booth on polling day. Considerable number of voters could not cast their votes as some of the vehicles broke down on way as the gate (to the booth) was closed at 3pm,” the memorandum read.
Over 32,000 people and 5000 families from the community are currently living in the camps in north Tripura.
