Bru IDPs in Tripura urge EC to retain voters' names for Mizoram poll

The Bru Internally Displaced People (IDPs) have requested the Chief Election Commission of India to keep the names of Bru voters on the electoral roll of Mizoram who were left out during the population census conducted by Tripura, as the forthcoming General Assembly Election is expected to commence in November 2023.

In a letter to Sushil Chandra, Chief Election Commission of India, Bruno Msha, General Secretary of Mizoram Bru Displaced Peoples Forum said that as per the petition submitted to Madhup Vyas, IAS, Chief Electoral Officer of Mizoram by the Young Mizo Association (YMA) that the names of Bru IDPs should be deleted from the existing Electoral Roll of Mizoram before 15-June-2023. 

“Accordingly, the Election Department is working on that and all names of Bru IDPs will be deleted before the forthcoming general assembly election of Mizoram which is likely to commence in the month of November 2023. In this connection, 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 6959 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 the population census by Government of Mizoram in 2016 & 2019”, the letter reads.

Also Read: Tripura bypolls conclude peacefully with 83 percent voter turn out

He further said that their condition is still uncertain whether to resettle in Tripura or in Mizoram as the Quadrilateral Agreement of 2020 gave the option to the Bru families to repatriate to Mizoram as per the agreement of 3 July, 2018.

“So, I would like to request your honour to kindly keep the names of Bru IDPs in the Electoral Rolls of Mizoram till the ensuing general assembly election to be held in November to exercise their universal adult franchise which is a vital importance and mandatory for the citizen of India”, he added.

Over 30,000 Brus, who have been living in Tripura since 1997, are now permanently settled in Tripura following a tripartite agreement signed to this effect on Jan 16, 2020. 

The Brus have been living in relief camps in Tripura after they fled Mizoram in 1997 following ethnic clashes with Mizos.

Their rehabilitation process started earlier this year and many of them were settled in different parts of Tripura while some of them are still living in the relief camp.