The MBDPF had complained to the poll panel that there were many eligible voters in the camps who were not included in the voters' lists of Mizoram.
Of the over 36,000 Reang tribal refugees, locally known as "Bru", living in the refugee camps in Kanchanpur and Panisagar in Tripura since 1997, only around 11,500 were listed in Mizoram's electoral rolls. They were listed from 10 of the 40 assembly constituencies in western Mizoram.
The tribals fled after ethnic clashes with the majority Mizos over the killing of a Mizo forest official. Many have since refused to return home from the camps in Tripura unless their security is guaranteed.