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What TV doesn't, print can't; we deliver.
GUWAHATI: Church leaders and political parties in Mizoram have opposed the Election Commission of India’s (ECI) decision to hold the counting of votes for the Mizoram Assembly elections 2023 on Sunday, December 3.
The Mizoram Church Leaders Committee (MKHC) called for an emergency meeting on the issue following the ECI’s announcement on Monday.
“We are very glad that the poll date will not fall on a Sunday. However, we are deeply saddened to learn that the count will be held on December 3, i.e., Sunday. As we are all aware, Sunday is a very important day for Christians. There is church service all day, so we are totally against poll counting on a Sunday. We feel that our religion is not being respected, despite the fact that there are six other days that are not Sunday,” said MKHC chief Dr C Chawnghmingliana.
Another issue raised by the church members is that December 3 coincided with ‘Bible Sunday’ which is observed by Christians all over the country. Bible Sunday is a day set aside in the church calendar to celebrate the gift of God’s word.
The Church has played an important role in Mizoram politics and their opposition to the counting has been responded to by the political parties. The ruling party Mizo National Front (MNF) and the Congress have written to the ECI to change the date. The MNF has already approached the ECI to refix the counting date on Monday, December 4.
L Thangmawia, MLA and MNF spokesperson has stated that the entire issue is an insult to the Christian community. “Sunday is our sacred day, it is a day when we do our religious practices and pray to God. If the government announces the result date on Sunday, it will disturb our peace of Mind. It is very insulting to the Christian community. Can we hold something on the puja day? It will also hurt the sentiments of the Hindus,” said L Thangmawia.
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The state Congress has already written a letter to the ECI to change the date to respect the sentiments of the Mizo people. Its president Lalsawta told The New Indian that the BJP has tried to make Sunday a normal day as opposed to a sacred day observed by the Christians.
“We are against it and we have already submitted our suggestions to ECI. We wish that it could be shifted to Monday, December 8. It is not advisable to hold the counting day on Sunday as the mass majority of the population is Christian,” he said.
This is not the first time that the issue of holding a government event on Sunday has faced flak in the state. In 2016, the Centre’s decision to observe ‘Good Governance Day’ on December 25 was opposed as it coincided with Christmas celebrations in the state. “We have earlier seen Good Governance Day and other government events being held on Sunday. BJP wants to make Sunday a normal day as opposed to a sacred day of the Christians,” said Lalsawta.
As per the 2011 census, Christians are the majority in Mizoram state. Christians constitute 87.16% of Mizoram population, followed by 2.75% Hindus and 1.35% Muslims in the state.
Assembly elections in Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Telangana and Mizoram will be held between November 7 and 30. The counting of votes would take place on December 3 for all five states.
