Aizawl: Mizoram’s largest civil society organisation, the Young Mizo Association (YMA), on Tuesday raised concerns over alleged discrepancies in the state’s draft electoral rolls prepared under the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) and sought a thorough review to ensure that only genuine citizens are included in the voter list.
The demand comes days after Mizoram Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Garima Gupta, who had ruled out any abnormal surge in voters, was transferred to Delhi.
Addressing a press conference, leaders of the Central Young Mizo Association (CYMA) said they had examined the draft electoral rolls published on July 4 and found what they described as “improbable” discrepancies in the digitisation of Enumeration Forms (EFs).
The organisation alleged inconsistencies in the digitisation of EFs in some constituencies after comparing the draft rolls with the electoral rolls prepared during the 2005 SIR and population growth figures. It also claimed to have noticed irregularities in the voter mapping process.
CYMA president R. Lalngheta said the organisation would submit a representation to the authorities seeking a detailed examination of the alleged discrepancies.
Describing the SIR as a crucial exercise, the CYMA said any lapses in implementation could allow ineligible persons to be included in the electoral rolls. It urged Electoral Registration Officers (EROs) and Assistant Electoral Registration Officers (AEROs) to conduct the ongoing claims and objections process with fairness and diligence to ensure only genuine citizens are enrolled.
The organisation also appealed to its local branches and partner organisations to actively participate in the hearing process and urged political parties not to approach the exercise with partisan interests.
Earlier, the Mizo Zirlai Pawl (MZP) had challenged Gupta’s assertion that there was no abnormal increase in voters in the draft rolls. The student body claimed that, among 95 villages it examined, a predominantly Chakma-inhabited village recorded a 376.92% increase in voters, while seven villages registered increases exceeding 200% and 16 others recorded rises of more than 100%.
In contrast, predominantly Mizo-inhabited villages recorded comparatively lower increases of between 10% and 20%, the MZP had alleged.
Gupta, a 2004-batch IAS officer of the AGMUT cadre, was transferred to Delhi through a Ministry of Home Affairs notification issued on July 9. She had assumed charge as Mizoram’s CEO on May 18 after being appointed on May 7.