National

Church leaders educate voters on free, fair polls

Aizawl: On Sunday, political parties and candidates for the December 2 Mizoram Assembly elections kept themselves off from electioneering as it is purely a Church Day. However, for the church leaders it was the most important day to reach out to the people — to tell them how to elect their representatives in the most free and fair manner as desired by the Election Commission.

To ensure a free and fair poll, the Mizoram People’s Forum (MPF), a platform floated by the Mizoram Presbyterian Church and other NGOs, has issued a set of commandments to the political parties, candidates and voters which require them to strictly adhere to the election code of conduct.

The NGOs, which have lent support to the Church in the formation of this community supervisory body, include the influential Young Mizo Association (YMA). The Forum has made the task of the Election Commission easier. More than 85 per cent of the population (8.91 lakh according to the 2001 Census) are Christians.

MPF president and a Church elder Rev H. Vanlalauva and other leaders of the Forum visited the Churches on Sunday and told the people about the commandments.

“If we can make the people aware of the code of conduct, then the elections will really be free and fair,” he told The Hindu.

The MPF has formed local and constituency-level forums in all 40 Assembly seats. Besides, there are district-level forums.

At a meeting convened by the MPF, the political parties agreed that there would be no door-to-door campaign so that there would be no scope for bribing or influencing the voters by unfair means. The restriction on door-to-door campaign resulted in the sudden rise in sale and distribution of cell phone SIM cards as some candidates tried to reach out to the voters through SMS.

The MPF has taken strong exception to this practice and directed the local or constituency forums to tell the candidates and their agents to immediately stop distribution of SIM cards. “If they do it again then we will report it to the Election Commission as it is a violation of code of conduct,” says Rev. Vanlalauva.

Altogether 6,11,616 voters will decide the fate of 206 candidates in the elections.

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