Mizoram Churches Unite To Pray For Vote Counting Date Change, Assert 'Sunday Sanctity' In Christian-Majority State

In Mizoram, churches have come together in a unified effort, organising prayers to request a change in the scheduled date of vote counting for the State Assembly election, as per reports by The Hindu.

The Mizoram Kohhran Hruaitute Committee (MKHC), a conglomerate of 15 major churches, issued a call urging churches to hold prayers during services to ensure that the counting, slated for 3 December, does not coincide with Sunday, a sacred day for the majority of Christians in the state.

The MKHC, citing an upcoming meeting between leaders of the NGO Coordination Committee and the Election Commission on 28 November, urged church members to participate in prayers with the hope that their collective efforts lead to a change in the counting date.

The Mizoram Presbyterian Church, the largest denomination in the state, independently encouraged its members to engage in prayers to influence a modification in the date of vote counting.

Simultaneously, a delegation of the NGO Coordination Committee, currently based in Delhi, is set to meet the Chief Election Commissioner and other officials of the Election Commission on Tuesday (28 November).

The purpose of the meeting is to reiterate their appeal and press for a change in the vote counting date.

The Election Commission had initially fixed 3 December as the day for counting votes in five states, including Mizoram.

However, various stakeholders, including political parties, civil society organisations, churches, and a church-sponsored poll watchdog in Mizoram, have opposed the chosen date.

Numerous appeals have been sent to the Election Commission, requesting a rescheduling of the counting date due to its coincidence with Sunday, a sacred day for Christians in the Christian-majority state.