Reang refugees queue up in front of a polling booth at Kanchanpur in Tripura on Friday. (AFP)

Agartala, Nov. 28: Eyes crinkled against the winter sun, Reang refugees queued up at polling booths in North Tripura since morning, making a collage of colourful tribal clothes and countenances that did not betray even a trace of discontent that caused them to “boycott” voting two days ago.

Discrepancies in the voters’ list and absence of party symbols on ballot papers — the two reasons that prompted the refugees in Kanchanpur subdivision near the Mizoram border to refrain from voting on Wednesday — were taken care of today.

“The eligible voters among refugees had refused to cast votes by postal ballots on November 26 on the ground that many of them were illiterate and there were no symbols on the ballots papers,” said Swapan Saha, district magistrate of North Tripura, currently camping in Kanchanpur.

Following an order from the Election Commission, party symbols were inscribed on the postal ballots today.

When the six polling booths across Kanchanpur opened their gates at 8 this morning, there was already an enthusiastic crowd of voters, waiting to choose their representatives to the 40-member Mizoram Assembly through postal ballot.

Official sources said polling was smooth.

“The voting will continue till the last voter casts his postal ballot or refuses to do so. All arrangements are in place and there is com- plete peace everywhere,” Saha said.

The president of the Mizoram Bru Displaced Peoples Forum, Elvis Chorkhy, said his office-bearers had fanned out in various camps and persuaded the people to vote.

“Barring the ruling Mizo National Front, all other parties, including the Congress and the BJP, have promised to take up and resolve the issue of repatriation of Reang refugees. We have reposed our faith in their promises. Now it is up to them to fulfil their commitments,” said Chorkhy.

The six Reang camps located in Kashirampur, Lngthoriakam, Hazacherra, Kasscot, Khakechang and Hamsapara have 32,172 refugees, with the largest concentration of 4,203 voters at Naisingpara camp, bordering Mizoram.

Among them, 8,205 have photo-affixed voter identity cards.

“The Reang refugees had a grievance that there are more than 16,000 eligible voters among them, but only 8,205 have been given photo-affixed identity cards. It is with great difficulty that they have convinced them to vote,” Saha said.

He said the Election Commission’s observer, Debasish Sen from Calcutta, was also supervising the poll process.

The additional chief electoral officer of Tripura, Dilip Acharjee, who is also playing a supervisory role, said: “We were asked by the election commission to provide logistical support and we have done this to the best of our ability.”