16 Manipur parties oppose delimitation, urge Centre to defer it until 2026
The meeting concluded with a call for unity among state’s political parties in resisting the exercise until normalcy is restored
A file image of security personnel stationed at a check gate in one of the sensitive areas of the state. (AT Photo)
Imphal, March 26: Sixteen political parties in Manipur, excluding the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Indian National Congress (INC), convened a meeting on Tuesday at the National People's Party (NPP) office in Imphal to discuss the ongoing Delimitation of Electoral Constituencies.
During the meeting, NPP State President Yumnam Joykumar urged authorities to rectify errors in the 2001 Census before proceeding with the delimitation exercise.
Joykumar proposed that the inaccuracies in the 2001 Census data be rectified by cross-verifying it with Aadhaar, the electoral roll, or other reliable methods.
He also advocated for postponing the process until 2026, citing the state's volatile situation.
Joykumar warned that conducting delimitation under the current circumstances could heighten tensions and potentially lead to violence, particularly amid concerns over alleged illegal population growth in certain areas.
The meeting comes in response to a recent Supreme Court directive instructing the completion of the pending delimitation exercise in Manipur, Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, and Assam within the next three months.
Representatives from Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), Communist Party of India (Marxist) (CPI-M), National People’s Party (NPP), Communist Party of India (CPI), Janata Dal United (JD-U), Naga People’s Front (NPF), Republican Party of India (Athawale) (RPI-A), All India Trinamool Congress (AITC), Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), Nationalist Congress Party SP (NCP-SP), Revolutionary Socialist Party (RSP), Shiv Sena (SS), Shiv Sena UBT, and Manipur People’s Party attended the meet.
The meeting concluded with a call for unity among Manipur's political parties in resisting the delimitation exercise until normalcy is restored in the state.
CPI-M Manipur State Secretary Kshetrimayum Santa, one of the three convenors of the meeting, confirmed that both the ruling BJP and the opposition Congress did not attend the discussions at the NPP headquarters in Uripok, Imphal. He urged them to support the resolution and take part in the next meeting.