All-Party Meeting in Manipur Opposes Delimitation, Adopts Five Resolutions
POLITICS
Imphal: An all-political party meeting held today in Manipur strongly opposed the forthcoming delimitation exercise scheduled to be carried out in three months, as per the directive of the Supreme Court of India. The meeting, convened at the Conference Hall of the National People's Party (NPP) in Naoremthong, Uripok, saw the participation of several recognized state and national parties. However, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Indian National Congress (INC) abstained from the meeting despite receiving invitations.
During the discussions, the attending parties expressed serious concerns over the timing and feasibility of conducting the delimitation exercise, citing the prevailing conflict in the state since May 3, 2023, as a major hindrance. The meeting concluded with the adoption of five key resolutions:
1. No Delimitation Without Census Rectification: The parties unanimously resolved that no delimitation exercise should take place in Manipur until the discrepancies in the 2001 Census are rectified. They argued that the faulty data could result in unfair constituency reorganization, distorting electoral representation.
2. Representation to the Central Government: The meeting decided that all political parties in Manipur would jointly urge the Central Government to defer the delimitation process until 2026, when the national delimitation is expected to be conducted using updated census figures.
3. Impracticality Amid Conflict: Citing the ongoing ethnic conflict, the parties maintained that conducting delimitation under the current volatile situation is impractical. They warned that such an exercise could further destabilize public order.
4. Legal Intervention: The political parties resolved to collectively intervene in the ongoing legal proceedings in the Supreme Court. They plan to highlight the law-and-order challenges and the conflict-ridden atmosphere in Manipur, seeking the court's reconsideration of its order mandating the delimitation exercise.
5. Unified Opposition: The meeting reaffirmed the collective stance of the participating parties against the delimitation exercise under the present circumstances, emphasizing the need for a peaceful resolution of the conflict before undertaking any electoral boundary reorganization.
The absence of the BJP and the Congress, two of the state's major political players, was noted with concern. However, the participating parties asserted their commitment to safeguarding the state's stability and ensuring that the delimitation process does not further aggravate the fragile situation.
The meeting concluded with a call for unity among Manipur's political parties in resisting the delimitation exercise until the conditions in the state normalize.