Aizawl, Sept 07: Mizoram Bru Displaced People’s Forum (MBDPF), representing the Bru community that migrated to Tripura from Mizoram, has issued a plea to the Election Commission of India not to remove the names of approximately 3,500 Bru voters from Mizoram’s electoral rolls. This request comes as Mizoram prepares for the General Assembly Election expected to be held in November 2023.
In a letter addressed to the Chief Election Commissioner, Bruno Msha, the General Secretary of MBDPF, highlighted the exclusion of Bru voters during the population census conducted by the Tripura government. Msha urged the Election Commission to ensure that these names remain on the electoral roll of Mizoram.
“I would like to bring to your kind notice that many names of Bru IDPs are not yet registered in the electoral roll of Tripura since 651 families, which is under the total 6,959 families as per the Quadripartite Agreement signed on 16 January 2020, and approximately 478 families who have been left out during the population census conducted by the Government of Tripura in June-August-2020 but who are having the population census slip as conducted by the Government of Mizoram in 2016 & 2019,” Msha stated in his letter.
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He emphasized the uncertainty faced by these displaced Bru families, torn between settling in Tripura or Mizoram, as the 2020 Quadrilateral Agreement provided the option to repatriate to Mizoram as per the agreement of 3 July 2018.
Msha’s appeal aimed to ensure that these Bru internally displaced persons (IDPs) are allowed to exercise their universal adult franchise in the upcoming general assembly election scheduled for November. He estimated that around 3,500 Bru voters who have chosen to settle in Tripura might not yet be enrolled in Tripura’s electoral rolls, citing the complexities of the settlement process, including land allotment and enrollment.
Meanwhile, Mizoram election officials have reportedly deleted the names of all 11,997 Bru voters who have settled permanently in Tripura.
However, the final status will be confirmed upon the publication of the state’s electoral roll on October 4, as the revision process is ongoing.
A senior election department official clarified that the removal of Bru voters could only be carried out following the signing of a quadrilateral agreement involving the Ministry of Home Affairs, the governments of Mizoram and Tripura, and various Bru bodies in relief camps on January 16, 2020. The agreement allowed Bru communities in Tripura relief camps who opted not to return to Mizoram the opportunity to settle permanently in Tripura.
The MBDPF’s appeal underscores the complexities and challenges involved in resolving the displacement issue and ensuring fair representation for the Bru community in electoral processes. The fate of these voters remains a matter of considerable importance and deliberation in the lead-up to the Mizoram General Assembly Election.
