Congress questions EC over 'delay' in announcing fresh counting day for Mizoram polls

New Delhi: As the Election Commission (EC) has changed the date for counting of votes in Mizoram by a day, the Congress on Friday questioned the delay in the announcement even though political parties had made representations in this regard more than a month ago.

Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh said the parties contesting the Mizoram election had asked for the date of counting to be shifted in the northeastern state from Sunday (December 3) to Monday (December 4).

"Representations were made over a month ago, but the ECI remained silent. A little while earlier, it has shifted the date. Why the delay in taking such a simple and obvious step?" he asked in a post on X.

The counting of votes in Mizoram will now take place on December 4, a day after it was originally scheduled, the EC said on Friday.

It said the decision was taken following representations from various quarters, requesting for a change in the date of counting from December 3 on the ground that Sunday holds a special significance for the people of Mizoram, a Christian-majority state.

The counting was earlier scheduled for Sunday, when the results of the Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Telangana Assembly polls would be declared.