Election officials from Kolasib and Lunglei districts of Mizoram left for Bru relief camps in North Tripura district today to conduct special registration drive of voters even as the Mizo Students Union (MSU) expressed strong objection.
State joint chief electoral officer H Lalengmawia told PTI that the drive was being conducted following instructions from the Election Commission and that officials from Mamit district had already conducted the special drive on Friday last.
Meanwhile, the MSU, in a memorandum submitted to the Chief Election Commissioner V S Sampath and state chief electoral officer Ashwani Kumar demanded that Bru voters in the Tripura relief camps should exercise franchise in Mizoram.
The MSU objected to the Election Commission's proposal to have voters in the Bru relief camps to exercise franchise through postal ballots in their respective camps saying that the Brus should cast their votes in their respective polling stations in Mizoram.
Alleging that cases of massive rigging were reported when the Bru voters cast their votes in the relief camps through postal ballots in the earlier elections, the MSU, in a press statement today said that the student body would obstruct casting of votes by Bru voters outside the state.
The MSU warned that any attempts to facilitate casting of votes by the Brus voters in the relief camps in Tripura would face objections and obstructions from the Mizo students.
Lalengmawia said use of electronic voting machines (EVMs) in the relief camps was not feasible as there were voters from different polling stations and assembly constituencies in one camp alone.
