The Mizo Zirlai Pawl (MZP), a student body in Mizoram, has challenged the claim made by Chief Electoral Officer Garima Gupta that the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) 2026 has not revealed any abnormal population growth. The MZP alleged that there were significant increases in the number of voters in several Chakma-majority villages in the draft electoral roll.
According to the MZP, an examination of the draft electoral roll published under SIR 2026 found unusually high increases in voter numbers in a number of villages in southern Mizoram. For instance, Sumasumy village, which had 52 voters in the 2005 intensive electoral roll, now has 248 voters in the latest draft electoral roll, representing an increase of 376.92 per cent. The organisation claimed that seven villages recorded voter increases of more than 200 per cent, while 16 villages registered increases exceeding 100 per cent.
The MZP also found that more than 30 villages experienced voter growth of over 50 per cent, while predominantly Mizo villages generally recorded increases of only between 10 and 20 per cent over the same period. The organisation examined data from 95 villages to arrive at these findings.
The MZP’s remarks come days after the Chief Electoral Officer stated that the Special Intensive Revision had not found evidence of abnormal population growth in the state. Mizoram recently completed 100 per cent digitisation of enumeration forms under the Election Commission of India’s SIR exercise, with the draft electoral roll published on July 4.
The MZP also criticised the Chief Electoral Officer, alleging that insufficient attention had been given to the implementation of the revision exercise. The organisation called for closer supervision of the process until all issues relating to the electoral roll are resolved. Additionally, the MZP urged Electoral Registration Officers (EROs), Assistant Electoral Registration Officers (AEROs), and Booth Level Officers (BLOs) to exercise greater vigilance while hearing applications for inclusion, deletion, and correction of names in the draft roll.
The MZP announced that it would work alongside the Young Lai Association (YLA) and Chakma student organisations to monitor the verification process during the claims and objections period, which is open from July 4 to August 4.
