Voting at 11 Manipur Booths Declared Void Due to Violence

Voting at 11 Manipur Booths Declared Void Due to Violence, Re-poll Scheduled for April 22

Manipur‘s Election Turmoil: Mob Violence and EVM Destruction Leads to Re-polling

DILIP DAIMARY

In the midst of the election season in India, the Election Commission of India (ECI) has annulled the polling conducted at 11 booths in five Assembly segments of Inner Manipur due to reported mob violence, gunfires, and destroyed Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs).

A re-poll has been scheduled for April 22, between 7 a.m. and 5 p.m., as announced by the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) of Manipur.

The affected polling stations are spread across the Khurai, Thongju, Uripok, Konthoujam, and Kshetrigao Assembly constituencies, according to the Office of the CEO.

Reports of mob violence and riots have been particularly prevalent, with unidentified men alleged to have cast votes on behalf of legitimate voters in at least six of these polling stations on April 19.

Due to these disturbances, the polling outcomes from these booths have been deemed unreliable, leading to the decision for re-polling. One of the affected polling stations, the Moirangkampu Sejab Primary School in Imphal, is being recommended for re-polling due to mob violence. Three arrests were made near the school on April 19 following a gunfire exchange that resulted in at least one injury.

Furthermore, a group of unidentified individuals reportedly entered the Khaidem Makha polling station in Imphal and cast 61 votes without adhering to the due process, sparking mob violence. However, security forces managed to secure the EVMs at the location.

In a more severe incident, mob violence resulted in the destruction of EVMs at three polling stations at the Iroisemba Upper Primary School, with reports suggesting that security personnel were overpowered by the public. Another polling station in Imphal’s Khongman Zone has been recommended for re-polling due to riots.

The Manipur Pradesh Congress Committee has lodged complaints of disturbances, violence, intimidation, and booth capturing in as many as 47 polling booths across 12 Assembly segments,

11 of which were in the Inner Manipur Lok Sabha constituency. However, allegations of similar incidents at 11 polling stations in the Sugnu area in the Outer Manipur constituency remain unverified.

The first phase of voting in Manipur on April 19 was tarnished by reports of gunfire, mob violence, and armed men loitering around polling stations in the presence of security personnel. A significant portion of Inner Manipur and certain parts of Outer Manipur went to the polls on April 19. The remaining parts of Outer Manipur will vote in the second phase on April 26.

In a separate incident, polling personnel in six eastern districts of Nagaland waited for nine hours in booths, but not a single voter turned up following a shutdown call given by an organisation to assert its demand for the ‘Frontier Nagaland Territory’ (FNT). Of the 13.25 lakh voters in Nagaland, the six districts in Eastern Nagaland account for 4,00,632 voters.

The Lok Sabha Election 2024 in Assam recorded an estimated 45.12% voter turnout till 1 p.m. on Friday in the five Lok Sabha seats. Meanwhile, in Meghalaya, the voter turnout was reported to be 50.23% till 1 PM.

Clearly, these incidents reflect a tense and volatile election season in these regions. As authorities grapple with these challenges, the hope is that the planned re-polling in Manipur will proceed smoothly and that the voices of the public will be heard, free from intimidation and violence.

20-04-2024

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