The NGO Coordination Committee (NGOCC), which along with all political parties in Mizoram has been seeking that the Election Commission change the date of counting of votes from Sunday, will organise a protest rally here on Friday as the poll panel has not paid any heed to their demand.
An NGOCC spokesman aid that the committee held a meeting at the office of the Young Mizo Association (YMA) here and decided to hold the protest rally on Friday from 11 a.m.
“The NGOCC invites all Mizo Christians to participate in the rally to safeguard the sacred day (Sunday) of Christians,” he told the media.
The decision comes after the 5-member delegation of the NGOCC on Tuesday met the Election Commission in New Delhi and demanded to move the date of counting of votes from Sunday, December 3, to any other day.
The NGOCC is a very influential body comprising five apex NGOs in Mizoram, three civil society organisations, and two powerful student bodies.
The churches in Mizoram also expressed their unhappiness and in a statement on Thursday, said: “The All Mizoram Churches Coordination Committee urged all Mizos and Political parties not to gather together anywhere except for Church Service on Sunday (December 3), if the EC decide not to change the date for counting of votes in Mizoram.”
NGOCC Chairman Lalhmachhuana, who is also the President of the YMA, led the 5-member delegation to Delhi and met the poll panel as part of its last-ditch effort to convince the EC to change the vote counting date.
The NGOCC delegation went to Delhi after the state Chief Electoral Officer Madhup Vyas met the EC on this issue earlier and was reportedly told that it will not reschedule the counting date since unlike polling, counting of votes does not involve common people who are free to do what they like on December 3.
Since the announcement of the election schedule for five states on October 9, all ruling and opposition political parties, church bodies, NGOs, and civil society organisations in the Christian-majority state (87 per cent) had been requesting the EC to reschedule the counting date.
Meanwhile, the EC has already started the process of counting of votes on December 3. For counting of votes, over 4,000 counting personnel have been engaged and they were provided training. These personnel would be posted in the 13 counting centres across the state. Around 40 counting halls would be set up in different districts.
All the EVMs are securely placed in the strong rooms in all the 11 district headquarters, officials said.
Director General of Police Anil Shukla said that adequate security measures have been taken for counting of votes. Contingents of Central Armed Police Forces and Mizoram Armed Police would be deployed to maintain law and order and smooth process of counting of votes.
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