Mizoram BJP seeks governor's intervention to defer rural and local body polls

Vanlalhmuaka said the party submitted a representation to the governor and urged him to intervene so the state government and state election commission reverse their decision and postpone the upcoming rural and local body polls due to the surge in novel coronavirus cases in the state. "We urged the governor to ask both the state government and state election commission to review their decision and defer the elections accordingly due to a spike in Covid-19 case," he told PTI.

A delegation of Mizoram BJP unit led by its president Vanlalhmuaka on Tuesday called on state governor P S Sreedharan Pillai seeking his intervention to defer the upcoming village council and local council polls slated for August 27. Vanlalhmuaka said the party submitted a representation to the governor and urged him to intervene so the state government and state election commission reverse their decision and postpone the upcoming rural and local body polls due to the surge in novel coronavirus cases in the state.

"We urged the governor to ask both the state government and state election commission to review their decision and defer the elections accordingly due to a spike in Covid-19 case," he told PTI. Vanlalhmuaka said that the state is witnessing a surge in Covid-19 cases and there is a chance of community transmission with new cases being reported every day.

"Many voters are unlikely to turn up for polling and if the number of voter turnout is minimal due to the Covid-19 spread it will be a big embracement for the state government as well an insult to democracy," he said. He "blamed" both the state government and state election commission for their decision to conduct the polls amid Covid-19 spread.

He said the BJP wanted the state election commission to conduct village council and local council polls when Covid-19 subsides. Earlier on Monday, opposition Congress had also urged the state election commission to defer the polls due to the surge in novel coronavirus cases in the state.

"We are of the opinion that holding elections in this time of Covid-19 spread is not safe for people as many voters will refuse to turn up for polling," Congress spokesperson Dr Lallianchhunga had said. However, state election commissioner Laima Chozah had said that the commission would go ahead with its schedule unless there is any further order.

Election to 558 village councils in nine districts barring 3 Autonomous District Council (ADC) areas in the southern part of the state and 83 local councils in Aizawl Municipal area will be held on August 27. The last date for filing nomination papers was Tuesday.

State election commission secretary Teresy Vanlalhruaii told PTI that the number of candidates, who have filed nomination papers for the rural and local body polls, is yet to be ascertained as details are yet to come from nine districts. Mizoram reported three more Covid-19 cases in the last 24 hours, taking the state's tally to 623.

There are at present 300 active COVID-19 cases as 323 people have already recovered from the disease, according to the health department.