New Delhi: Amidst persistent unrest in Manipur, marked by recurring incidents of violence, preparations for the upcoming general election have begun in the state, with officials actively conducting a meticulous “vulnerability mapping” exercise across areas, ThePrint has learnt.
According to government sources, areas that are most volatile or have been most affected by the violence will be categorised as critical and vulnerable. Other areas that have not seen much violence or are not seen as vulnerable to attack either by militants or mobs, will be categorised as “normal” and central forces will be deployed there accordingly.
Sources said that in addition to the precarious law and order situation due to the ongoing violence, organising an election also poses a significant challenge in the state owing to the fact that more than 50,000 people have been displaced from their homes, disrupting their voting locations.
While Meiteis are dominant in the state’s valley areas, including Imphal, Kukis form the majority in the hills. Since violence erupted last May, there has been a steady stream of reverse migration among Kukis who lived in the valley and Meiteis who settled in the hills.
“So many people are living in relief camps, far from home, after their villages were burnt, houses demolished. They are not even in their constituencies. None of them have their documents. It will be a mammoth task to hold an election in such a situation,” said one government source.
The source added that a plan is being chalked out while taking into account these challenges. “We are chalking out a plan that will ensure that elections are held with minimal disruption. There are several suggestions that have been given including opening of booths near relief camps and a plan will soon be finalised,” the source told ThePrint.
Elections to elect 543 members of the 18th Lok Sabha are expected to be held between April and May 2024. Manipur has only two Lok Sabha constituencies and the dates for the upcoming polls are likely to be announced by the Election Commission sometime next month.
Many political and social activists in Manipur have called for deferment of Lok Sabha polls in the state on account of the volatile situation. Among those calling for deferment is former Congress MP Thokchom Meinya who said Sunday that this is not a good time to hold the elections and that polling should be held only after normalcy returns to the state.
Ethnic violence in Manipur erupted on 3 May last year as decades of ethnic tensions peaked with Meiteis demanding that they be categorised as a Scheduled Tribe (ST) to access the benefits of reservation they claimed were being cornered by the Kukis. The Kukis saw this as an assault on their rights and asserted that the Meiteis already dominated government jobs and positions of power. The wave of violence unleashed since claimed at least 175 lives, displaced thousands, and even sparked fears of ethnic cleansing.
Also Read: ‘Prepared to deport all Meiteis to Manipur’ — Mizoram students’ body cautions Biren Singh govt
Training complete, exercise underway
According to a second source, training of all officials including DCs and DEOs was already conducted at the India International Institute of Democracy and Election Management (IIIDEM) in Delhi in January.
“A state police nodal officer has already been assigned the task of charting out strategy. Moreover, district police chiefs have also been trained. Although it’s a regular exercise before elections, it becomes more critical in Manipur,” the source said.
According to the source, the government has conveyed to officials in the state that the exercise for identification of vulnerable areas, segments, villages, hamlets and even persons causing vulnerabilities shall be undertaken two months prior to the date of the poll and the same shall be finalised within three days of announcement of polling dates.
“The identification of vulnerable areas, segments, villages, hamlets and even persons causing such vulnerabilities is underway and an assembly constituency wise preliminary report on the same will be finalised and sent by 29 February,” the source added.
(Edited by Amrtansh Arora)
Also Read: Recruitment spikes across insurgent outfits in Manipur, ‘more than when insurgency was at its peak’