JOIN USLok Sabha Elections 2024: Manipur voters who took refuge outside state may miss ballot amid anti-BJP stand, poll boycott by Kukis
Guwahati: With the Supreme Court on April 15 rejecting a petition seeking special arrangements for over 18,000 voters, who fled Manipur due to the conflict, many hailing from the state may not be able to exercise their franchise on Friday, when polling for both the Lok Sabha constituencies would be conducted.
Disposing a petition filed by voters from Manipur, who shifted to cities like Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Guwahati, Shillong and a few other places, the Supreme Court said it was too late for them to issue a directive to the Election Commission to make special arrangements for such voters.
Election officials in Manipur on Thursday told DH that a total of 18,620 internally displaced voters have enrolled for casting their votes in 85 special polling stations set up near relief camps, both in the Meitei-dominated Imphal Valley and Kuki-dominated districts.
Meitei voters who fled the Kuki-dominated areas are living in relief camps in the valley districts while Kukis also fled the Imphal Valley and have been sheltered in relief camps in the Kuki-dominated districts.
"We have taken all possible steps to ensure that all 18,620 internally displaced voters (18,091 for first phase) can cast their votes without any problem," an official in the office of Chief Electoral Officer, Manipur told DH on Thursday.
When asked about those who left Manipur due to the conflict and could not come back for polling, the official said, "We don't have any instructions from EC regarding such voters." Another 529 displaced voters have enrolled for polling in the second phase on April 26, he said.
Nabokishore Singh, a Meitei voter from Bishnupur district, who shifted to Bengaluru in August last year with his parents due to the conflict, told DH that his family members would not be able to go to Manipur to cast their votes as the situation is still not normal.
"We wanted to go by flight and return the next day but the flight ticket fare between Bengaluru and Imphal shot up Rs. 33,200 on April 17," he said.
Nabakishore, who works in an IT firm, said his house was destroyed by Kuki insurgents a few days after they shifted to Bengaluru. Bishnupur, which shares a boundary with Kuki-dominated Churachandpur district, is one of the worst affected districts.
Nearly 800 displaced voters belonging to the Kuki-Zo communities, who have been taking shelter in neighbouring Mizoram, too are also likely to miss the votes.
Poll officials in Manipur earlier said such voters have to return to the state to cast their votes but Kuki-Zo leaders told DH that they would not return as their houses in the Valley have either been destroyed or taken over by the Meitei miscreants.
Mizoram CM Lalduhoma on March 29 told DH that the displaced voters would not be able to cast their votes in Mizoram as they are not in the electoral rolls in his state.
Polling for the Meitei-dominated Inner Manipur Lok Sabha seat and some Kuki-dominated areas comprising 15 Assembly segments in the Outer Manipur constituency will be conducted on Friday.
Nagas and Kukis are deciding factors in the Outer Manipur seat. The Inner Manipur seat is likely to see a fight between education minister Basanta Kumar Singh of BJP and Amgomcha Bimol Akoijam, a JNU teacher-turned Congress candidate. The fight in Outer Manipur seat is likely to be between Timothy Zimik of NPF and Alfred K. Arthur of Congress. All four candidates are Nagas as Kukis decided not to contest the elections.
Fear of violence
Sources in at least two central security agencies deployed to maintain peace in Manipur told DH on Thursday that they fear possibility of further violence during polling on Friday given the fact that both Meitei and Kukis are in possession of sophisticated weapons.
They fear that Arambai Tenggol, the Meitei armed group, having more than 50,000 members, might be used by political parties for their benefits.
Elaborate security arrangements have been made to prevent violence and for peaceful conduct of elections, said one official in Assam Rifles.
Call against BJP, poll boycott
Several influential Kuki organisations including the Kuki Inpi, Manipur asked Kuki-Zo voters not to vote for ruling BJP and its allies National People's Party and Naga People's Front (NPF) given the alleged involvement of the N Biren Singh government in the attacks on the Kukis.
Committee on Tribal Unity, another Kuki organisation in Kuki-dominated Kangpokpi district, on Wednesday asked voters to abstain from voting in view of the attacks on the Kukis.