Mizoram Chief Electoral Officer Ashish Kundra on Tuesday appealed to a conglomerate of civil societies and student bodies to reconsider its decision to boycott the April 11 Lok Sabha election in the State and observe indefinite bandh from April 8.
The NGO Coordination Committee had on Monday said that it would boycott polls to the lone Mizoram parliamentary seat if special polling booths were established in the State for Bru refugees staying in neighbouring Tripura.
Mr. Kundra urged the civil societies not to deprive the people of their democratic rights and to ensure that people of Mizoram has representation in Parliament.
“At a meeting held before the Assembly election last year, it was decided that Bru voters living in the relief camps would exercise their franchise inside Mizoram, and it was arranged. Officials of the EC, the NGOCC and the State election department had attended the meeting,” Mr. Kundra said.
He said that as far as he knew, there was no agreement that the Bru refugees will cast their votes in those polling stations of Mizoram where they were enrolled as voters.
The NGOCC had earlier threatened to launch agitation if temporary polling stations were set up for the Brus.
The organisation was of the opinion that those living outside Mizoram should not be allowed to vote in the State.