Mizoram Election Commission Dismisses Claims of Foreign Nationals on Voter Rolls

Mizoram's Electoral Roll Revision Findings

Aizawl, July 4: The Election Commission has refuted claims regarding the inclusion of foreign nationals in the electoral rolls of Mizoram, following the completion of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR). They confirmed that there was no significant rise in the state's voter population.

During a press briefing on Saturday, Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Garima Gupta stated that the draft electoral roll did not indicate any foreign nationals being registered.

"We have not identified any instances of foreign nationals on the electoral rolls. The draft roll reflects no substantial increase or unusual growth in voter numbers," Gupta remarked.

These comments followed allegations from the Mizo Zirlai Pawl (MZP), which reported a 121% surge in voters in areas dominated by Chakma residents and called for the Election Commission to investigate and remove any suspected foreign voters.

Gupta assured that all complaints were meticulously reviewed during the revision process.

"Each elector was verified through house-to-house visits, and booth-level agents from political parties participated to ensure that only eligible voters were included in the electoral rolls," she explained.

The CEO noted that 875,068 enumeration forms were distributed during the revision, with 828,906 forms collected and digitized. A total of 46,163 forms, or 5.28%, were not collected, leading to the removal of those voters from the draft electoral roll.

Regarding the deletions, Gupta detailed that 21,295 voters had passed away, 13,978 had moved permanently to other states or countries, 8,333 could not be located despite multiple visits, 2,248 were found to be registered elsewhere, and 309 electors opted out of enrollment during the SIR for religious reasons.

The draft electoral roll is based on a qualifying date of July 1, 2026. Aizawl has the highest number of electors, exceeding 272,000, followed by Lunglei with 98,808 and Lawngtlai with 90,699.

Gupta announced that claims and objections regarding the draft roll would be accepted from July 4 to August 4, with resolutions to be completed by September 2. The final electoral rolls are set to be published on September 6.

The Special Intensive Revision, which commenced on May 20 and concluded on June 28, resulted in the removal of 46,163 names from Mizoram's electoral rolls.

Additionally, Gupta highlighted that Mizoram was the first among the 16 states participating in the third phase of the SIR to achieve complete digitization of all collected enumeration forms.