Leaders of 11 political parties in Manipur, both national and local, have urged Governor Ajay Kumar Bhalla to engage with the central government to postpone the delimitation process until 2026. During discussions held at the Raj Bhavan, party representatives presented a memorandum expressing their apprehensions regarding the prospective delimitation exercise. A spokesperson for the delegation emphasized that any re-demarcation of electoral boundaries should be grounded in accurate census data and must be deferred until the country conducts its delimitation process with new census figures in 2026.
This meeting comes in the wake of a Supreme Court directive mandating the completion of pending delimitation exercises in northeastern states, including Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, Manipur, and Assam, within three months. The memorandum stated, “Given the ongoing ethnic conflict in Manipur since May 2023, it is unfeasible to carry out delimitation. If any such exercise is initiated in Manipur, it could lead to significant disturbances to public order.” The statement also referenced notable population growth trends in certain hill districts from the 2001 census, indicating a potential for further conflict between residents of hill and valley regions.
The political parties represented in the meeting included the National People’s Party (NPP), Janata Dal (United), Communist Party of India (Marxist), Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), Revolutionary Socialist Party (RSP), Republican Party of India (Athawale), Shiv Sena (UBT), Manipur People’s Party (MPP), and Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP). Most of these parties expressed strong opposition to any delimitation exercises based on the 2001 census data, calling for a thorough revision of the census figures prior to any boundary reevaluation.
A senior BJP figure, Kh Ibomcha, indicated that the party would form a 13-member committee to examine issues related to the delimitation of electoral boundaries in the state. Ibomcha, an MLA from Lamlai Assembly constituency, reiterated that the BJP would not oppose delimitation if it were based on authentic census data. Similarly, the opposition Congress party has voiced its concerns against any delimitation exercises tied to the 2001 census, insisting that rectification of the census data is essential before proceeding with boundary re-demarcation.
Congress Vice-President for Manipur, Hareshwar Goswami, highlighted issues of inaccuracies in the 2001 census, particularly noting disproportionate population growth across nine subdivisions in three districts. While he affirmed the party’s support for delimitation, he stressed it must rely on correct census data free from errors, citing known irregularities in the 2001 count. Goswami remarked, “Most people, political parties, civil societies, and social organizations in Manipur support the delimitation process, but they demand it be based on genuine census data.” He ultimately reinforced the position of Congress that any re-demarcation of electoral boundaries should be conducted on the basis of accurate census information, advocating for a delay in the delimitation until 2026.
Original Source: https://www.morungexpress.com/11-parties-urge-manipur-guv-to-defer-delimitation-process-till-2026
Category: North-East
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Publish Date: 2025-05-12 23:41:00
