Mizoram polls: Parties end campaign with church visits on Sunday
Candidates in Mizoram ended their election campaign a day early in order to make church visits on Sunday, a sacred day for Christians who form the majority in the state. The state will go to the polls on 7 November, with the Zoram Peoples’ Movement (ZPM) hoping to oust the Mizo National Front (MNF) and form the next government. The ZPM, which won eight seats in 2018, has been campaigning since April. The Mizoram Peoples Forum, a church-backed poll watchdog, confirmed that it had not instructed parties to end their campaigns on Sunday, but said they had decided to do so themselves.
The last day of election campaign in Mizoram saw candidates of all major parties and their supporters making church visits, instead of conducting rallies and public meetings, as it fell on a Sunday, a sacred day for Christians, who constitute the majority in the state.
The political parties and candidates had wrapped up their poll meetings on Saturday itself, a day before the schedule, to make church visits on Sunday.
“Since Sunday is a sacred day for us, we ended our election campaign on Saturday itself though there was no such instruction from church bodies,” said president of the Zoram Peoples’ Movement (ZPM), Lalduhoma.
Like the ZPM, all other political parties including MNF, Congress and BJP also ended their campaigning on Saturday itself. As per 2011 census, 87% of Mizoram’s population of 1.1 million are Christians.
The state will go to polls on November 7.
In 2018, the ZPM, which had formed a year earlier, surprised many by winning 8 of the 40 seats and coming second behind the Mizo National Front, which won 26 seats. This time the party is expecting to oust the MNF and form the next government.
“Our campaign started in April itself, around six months ahead of the Election Commission announcing the poll schedule. We are confident of forming the next government on our own,” said Lalduhoma after ending his Sunday church visit.
Lalramliana Pachuau, general secretary of Mizoram Peoples Forum, a church-backed poll watchdog, said, “There were no instructions from our side to political parties and candidates not to campaign on Sunday. But since it’s a day of worship and prayers, they decided it on their own.”
Since 2008, the MPF, formed by the Mizoram Presbyterian Church Synod, the largest Christian denomination in Mizoram, had signed agreements with all political parties in Mizoram to conduct elections in a free, fair and peaceful manner. A similar agreement was signed this time too.
Earlier, political parties, civil society organisations and the MPF had requested the Election Commission to change the date of counting of votes for elections in all five states facing elections in November, including Mizoram, as it has been scheduled on December 3, a Sunday.
“The EC has not agreed to our request thus far. Three days ago, we sent another letter to the commission to postpone the counting date to either December 4 or 5 as most people in Mizoram would be busy with church activities on the scheduled date,” MPF’s Pachuau said on Sunday.
Meanwhile leaders of all major parties expressed satisfaction with their poll campaigns and confidence of a good show in the polls.
“Our campaign went smoothly, and we are working very hard to win. We are in the upper hand in at least six-seven seats. I am very sure that we will be part of the next government,” said BJP Mizoram president Vanlalhmuaka.
The saffron party, which contested 39 seats in 2018, secured 8% of the total votes and managed to win one seat, it’s first in Mizoram. This time around, it has put up candidates in 23 seats.
Congress state president Lalsawta expressed confidence of forming a government on its own. In 2018, the party had been ousted from power by MNF and it got relegated to the third spot behind ZPM managing to win just 5 seats.
“We need 21 seats to form the government. It is my expectation that we will win at least 25 and maybe more,” MNF president and Chief Minister Zoramthanga said earlier this week.
Meanwhile, preparations are underway for smooth conduct of voting on November 7. The state has a total of 857,063 voters (413,062 male, 439,026 female and 4975 service voters). There are a total of 1276 polling stations and 174 candidates in the fray.
Election officials informed that apart from 3000 state police personnel, 10 companies of Border Security Force and five companies each of Central Reserve Police Force and Sashastra Seema Bal would be on duty to ensure polling passes without any violence.
“A total of 9,555 voters have already voted before the scheduled date. Of them 2058 are those over 80 years of age or persons with disabilities and 7497 are service voters or poll personnel who have cast postal ballots,” informed H Lianzela, additional chief electoral officer, Mizoram.
Mizoram usually witnesses high voter turnouts and peaceful voting. In 2018, the voting percentage of 81.31, slightly higher than 80.82% recorded five years ago.
