Mizo student body threatens to stop Bru refugees' postal ballot voting

Fearing rigging in the forthcoming Assembly elections, the Mizo Students’ Union (MSU) has approached Chief Election Commissioner VS Sampath and Mizoram chief electoral officer (CEO) Ashwani Kumar urging them not to allow postal ballot facility to the Bru refugees in relief camps in North Tripura. Threatening to prevent the postal ballot voting, the student body wanted the registered Bru voters to vote in their respective constituencies.[caption id=“attachment_1189701” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  A Mizo woman with her child votes in the 2008 Assembly polls. AFP[/caption] According to a Times of India report, the Brus are refusing to leave Mizoram for political benefits they receive at the refugee camps, despite continuous appeal by the Mizo civil society, state government and the Union Ministry of Home Affairs. “The MSU said the ministry of home affairs and the Mizoram government had made arrangements repeatedly to facilitate the Brus lodged in the relief camps to return to Mizoram and the government and civil societies in Mizoram have also made several appeals to the Brus to return"— the Times of India report said. Earlier, state joint chief electoral officer H Lalengmawia said that the repatriation process of the Brus will be deferred while the polls were on as continuing with it would be in violation of the Model Code of Conduct. From 18 October, a special drive to include eligible voters in the Bru relief camps of North Tripura district had also begun. Mizoram votes on 4 December for a new Assembly. The counting of votes is on 8 December.