New Delhi: This Sunday, churches across Christian-majority Mizoram prayed for an unusual reason. They sought ‘divine intervention’ to help reschedule the December 3 date for the counting of votes polled in the recently-held assembly elections in the Northeastern state. 

December 3 is a Sunday, the day of worship for Christians. 

Though the Election Commission of India (ECI) usually takes special days into consideration while picking election dates, the plea of several civil society groups, political parties and the Church to postpone the counting day for Mizoram by a day or two has not been heeded. In Rajasthan, the ECI changed the date of polling from November 23 to November 25 after receiving representations that “large scale wedding” ceremonies were scheduled on the earlier date.

According to news reports, the Mizoram Kohhran Hruaitute Committee (MKHC), a conglomerate of 15 major churches of the state, urged all churches this past Saturday (November 25) to organise prayers during the Sunday church service to seek “help from God” for a change in the counting date. 

Mizoram Presbyterian Church, the largest denomination in the state, also separately urged its members to hold prayers to ensure that the date of counting is changed, said a Mizoram Post report.

Meanwhile, a five-member delegation of the NGO Coordination Committee (NGOCC), an Aizawl-based umbrella body of NGOs and student organisations, has been staying put in New Delhi since the past week to seek an appointment with the chief election commissioner (CEC) on the matter. The delegation has come to the national Capital after pleas by civil society groups and political parties to the State Election Commission (SEC) went unheard. Those pleas were made as soon as the CEC in New Delhi had announced the election schedule in the state along with December 3 as the common date for counting of votes in all the five poll-bound states. 

News reports said the CEC’s office has given time to the delegation on November 28. 

Meanwhile, the SEC has made all arrangements to carry out the counting on December 3 as scheduled. A Mizoram Post report quoting additional chief election officer H. Lianzela said more than 4,000 counting personnel would be involved in the counting exercise which was to begin at 8 am. In all, 13 counting centres would be set up.

This November 29, a full dress rehearsal of the counting exercise would be carried out by the SEC for smooth conduct on the designated day, state chief election officer Madhup Vyas told reporters in Aizwal. 

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