Polling stations near relief camps in strife-hit Manipur

Special polling stations will be set up near relief camps across Manipur, where over 50,000 displaced people have been living in makeshift facilities for the last 10 months after losing their homes in the ethnic clashes, enabling them to exercise their franchise in the upcoming Lok Sabha polls, the Election Commission of India (ECI) announced on Saturday.
Voting for the two Manipur Lok Sabha constituencies will be held in two phases on April 19 and April 26. The votes will be counted on June 4.
The ECI reviewed the ground situation and found that a large number of electors from different constituencies of Manipur were displaced from their native places, the poll body said in a statement on Saturday.
“They are now residing in relief camps in various districts of Manipur. The commission, after due consultation with various stakeholders, has decided that special polling stations shall be set up at/near the camps where such electors, who opt for such facility, will be able to register their votes in EVMs (electronic voting machines),” it said.
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In this regard, a detailed scheme for internally displaced persons of Manipur to vote in relief camps has been issued by the commission on February 29, 2024, the statement added.
“We will make all arrangements. We have drawn up a scheme that has been notified to allow voters in the camp to vote from the camp itself. The scheme has been notified. It will be like the scheme for migrants in Jammu and Kashmir(J&K),” chief election commissioner Rajiv Kumar told reporters in Delhi.
More than 50,000 people displaced in ethnic clashes are housed in community centres, tents, porta cabins, churches and government buildings across the northeastern state. Ever since clashes broke out between Meitei and Kuki communities on May 3 last year, Manipur has been divided on ethnic lines. Meiteis who lived in hill districts have returned to community-dominant valley districts such as Imphal and Bishnupur while Kukis settled in Imphal have shifted to relief camps in hill areas. Security forces guard the boundaries between the hill and valley districts to ensure people from one side do not enter other’s territory and indulge in the violence.
“Government officials from the district administration had visited us last week and said they would make arrangements for us to vote. They have details of each person at the relief camp,” Keishang Guite, who is taking shelter at a Churachandpur-based relief camp, said.
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Another person at the camp said many have lost their identity cards. “We have told officials from the DM’s office that many people have lost their identity papers. They said all names would be verified and everyone would get to vote. Also, many people have fled to Mizoram. Now that election dates have been announced, some may return to exercise their franchise,” S Haokip, another displaced person, added.
The ECI also announced that voting for the two Lok Sabha seats — Inner Manipur and Outer Manipur — will be held in two phases on April 19 and April 26. All those places that witnessed violence and continue to report sporadic incidents, including the entire Inner Manipur constituency — comprising Imphal East, Imphal West and Thoubal districts, among others — as well parts of Outer Imphal constituency — including Churachandpur, Kangpokpi, Saikul and Kakching — will go to polls in the first phase. The remaining parts of the Outer Manipur seat, such as Tengnoupal, Phungyar and Ukhrul, will vote in the second phase, according to the poll schedule released by ECI.
“The decision to hold elections in valley and parts of hills areas such as Churachandpur and Kangpokpi on the same day may be because of security reason. At one go, all the forces will be deployed in the area,” a senior police officer said, requesting anonymity. “The other so-called peaceful areas, except Tengnoupal (also international border district), will go to polls on another date.”
Meanwhile, security officials said the unified command along with district magistrates would take stock of the deployment of the forces. “There are enough security forces in Manipur right now. Maybe it only needs a rejig. More security forces could be posted on the state’s border with Mizoram or the porous international border with Myanmar at Moreh and other parts of Tengnoupal district,” one of the officials said, also declining to be named. Manipur currently has around 198 companies of paramilitary forces and 140 columns of army and Assam Rifles.