Members of the Delete Church community in Mizoram have told Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Garima Gupta that they do not want their names included in the Electoral Roll, saying the decision is linked to their religious beliefs.
Gupta visited members of the community in Zotlang and Champhai on Friday during the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls. The visit was intended to understand why members of the community had chosen not to enrol themselves.
Religious beliefs behind the decision
According to a Mizoram government official, the Delete Church is a small religious community found particularly in areas such as Champhai and Zotlang in eastern Mizoram.
During their interaction with the CEO, members said they considered enrolment in the Electoral Roll incompatible with their religious beliefs, according to an official statement.
Gupta was accompanied by Joint CEO Ethel Rothangpuii, Champhai Election Officer Ngulzaṭhuama and Champhai South Assistant Electoral Registration Officer Lalchhuanawma Ralte.
The visit allowed election officials to hear the community’s concerns directly as Mizoram undertakes the SIR exercise.
Mizoram moves towards final voter roll
The Election Commission of India is carrying out SIR 2026 across 16 states and two Union Territories to update electoral rolls, remove ineligible names and ensure eligible Indian citizens are included.
Mizoram has achieved 100 per cent digitisation of its enumeration process, becoming the first among the participating states and Union Territories to reach the milestone, CEO Gupta had earlier said.
Draft electoral rolls were published across all 11 districts on July 4. With July 1, 2026, as the qualifying date, the draft roll listed 8,28,906 voters, comprising 4,29,881 women and 3,99,025 men.
The Final Electoral Roll is scheduled to be published on September 7, bringing the revision exercise in the state closer to completion.