An influential organisation of church leaders in Mizoram on Friday set a 24-hour deadline to the Election Commission of India to “reschedule” the date of counting of votes for the November 7 Assembly elections to either December 4 or 5 as the current date — December 3 — falls on Sunday, a sacred day for Christians.

Mizoram is a Christian-majority state like Nagaland and Meghalaya.

A five-member delegation of the Aizawl-based Mizoram Kohhran Hruaitute Committee (MKHC), a conglomerate of various churches and denominations, submitted a two-page petition to change the date of counting to chief election commissioner Rajiv Kumar through the state’s chief electoral officer Madhup Vyas around noon, the organisation’s joint secretary Lalnilawma Colney told The Telegraph.

The decision to petition the CEC “once again” to reschedule the counting date was taken after a “thorough discussion” at a joint meeting organised on Thursday night at the initiative of the MKHC, which included the NGO Coordination Committee, Mizoram People’s Forum (MPF) and political parties.

The MKHC wanted the dates changed December 4 or 5 and “not on any Saturday or Sunday which happens to be an auspicious day of worshipping God for Christians”.

“The joint meeting also resolved to request the Election Commission of India to kindly give a written reply within 24 hours of submission of the letter through the CEO of
Mizoram on 3rd November 2023,” the petition said, adding they were expecting a “positive response” from the poll panel.

The MKHC also said several petitions have been sent by church bodies, NGOs and political parties to the ECI to reconsider rescheduling the counting date but “not a single response has been received... till date”.

This led to the holding of the meeting on Thursday.

The MKHC had first moved the ECI on October 11 to reschedule the counting date, two days after the poll schedule was announced.

The October 11 MKHC representation to the CEC had stated: “Sunday is a sacred day for Christians and the Church worship services are held in all towns and villages, refraining from secular and other business activities. Therefore, we request you to change the date for counting of votes not to fall on Saturday and Sunday.”