no-foreigners-found-in-mizoram-electoral-rolls-after-sir-ceo

Mizoram Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Garima Gupta on Saturday dismissed allegations that foreign nationals had been included in the state's electoral rolls, saying a recently completed verification exercise found no such irregularities and no abnormal rise in the number of registered voters.

 

Speaking after the completion of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, Gupta said the exercise was carried out in accordance with the Election Commission's prescribed procedures and resulted in the complete digitisation of all enumeration forms.

 

The revision, which began on May 20 and concluded on June 28, involved an extensive verification of voter records across the state. As part of the exercise, more than 46,000 names were deleted from the electoral rolls after verification, reflecting routine corrections and updates to ensure the accuracy of the voter database.

 

Gupta's clarification came amid concerns raised by the influential student body, the Mizo Zirlai Pawl (MZP), which had alleged a sharp increase in the number of voters in Chakma-dominated areas, particularly in southern Mizoram. The organisation claimed there had been a 121 per cent rise in the electorate in some of these areas and sought a thorough review of the rolls.

Also read: Mizoram ranks third in HPV rollout nationwide

 

Rejecting the allegations, the Chief Electoral Officer said the verification exercise had not detected any abnormal growth in voter numbers or the inclusion of foreign nationals. She maintained that the electoral rolls had been scrutinised comprehensively and updated only after due verification.

 

According to Gupta, the digitisation of all enumeration forms during the revision has further strengthened the transparency and accuracy of the electoral database, making future verification and monitoring more efficient.

 

The Election Commission has also not reported any irregularities in the revised electoral rolls following the completion of the Special Intensive Revision.

 

The exercise forms part of the Commission's regular efforts to maintain clean and accurate electoral rolls by removing duplicate, shifted, deceased and otherwise ineligible entries while ensuring that all eligible citizens remain enrolled.

 

The CEO reiterated that the revision process was conducted strictly under the Election Commission's guidelines and that the updated electoral rolls accurately reflect Mizoram's eligible electorate.