1. Kuki-Zo community members from Manipur, sheltering in Mizoram due to violence, encounter voting obstacles.
2. The Election Commission has yet to arrange specific voting facilities for Internally Displaced People from Manipur.
3. Lack of voting arrangements raises concerns for Manipur IDPs seeking refuge in Mizoram.
Imphal, March 20: Thousands of Kuki-Zo community members from Manipur, seeking refuge in Mizoram due to ethnic violence, face challenges in voting during the upcoming Lok Sabha polls.
As of now, no specific voting arrangements have been made for these Internally Displaced People (IDPs) from Manipur, according to an Election Commission official.
Data from the Mizoram Home Department reveals that around 9,196 adults and children from Manipur have sought shelter across various locations in Mizoram.
While discussions are ongoing among Election Commission officials to facilitate voting for displaced Manipuris, no concrete plans have been formulated yet, the official said. The Lok Sabha elections for Manipur’s two seats are scheduled for April 19.
Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar has mentioned a scheme to enable displaced people in Manipur to vote from their respective camps.
However, this scheme is limited to Manipur’s territorial jurisdiction, clarified Manipur’s Chief Electoral Officer Pradeep Kumar Jha.
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Reports indicate that apart from Mizoram, Kuki-Zo people from Manipur are also residing in Delhi and various other cities across India.
In the past, the Election Commission permitted IDPs to vote from their host states. For instance, Mizoram’s Bru people, who fled to Tripura in 1997, were allowed to cast votes through postal ballots in relief camps. However, in 2018, exclusive polling stations were set up at a village on the Mizoram-Tripura border due to opposition from Mizoram civil society groups.
Similarly, Kashmiri IDPs in Delhi have been granted the right to vote from Delhi.
Among the displaced Manipuris in Mizoram, 1,340 individuals are residing in 26 relief camps, while 7,856 are living outside relief camps.
Aizawl district hosts the highest number of displaced Manipuris at 4,446, followed by Kolasib district at 2,674 and Saitual district at 1,275.
The displaced Manipuris predominantly belong to the minority Kuki-Zo community, sharing ethnic ties with the Mizos.
