Imphal: Representatives of at least 13 political parties have agreed to formally request the central government to postpone the delimitation exercise in Manipur, as directed by the Supreme Court, until the “errors” in the 2001 census are rectified.
While parties such as the NPP, JD(U), CPI(M), RPI (Athawale), Manipur Peoples’ Party, CPI, TMC, AAP, NCP(SCP), Shiv Sena, BSP, Forward Bloc, and RSP were present during a meeting in Imphal on Tuesday, the BJP and Congress chose not to attend the meeting.
The Supreme Court recently directed the Centre to complete the delimitation process in Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, and Manipur within the next three months.
“Leaders of various political parties participated in the discussions, aimed at addressing concerns and formulating a collective approach regarding the upcoming delimitation process. Based on that, it was resolved that no delimitation be conducted till the errors in the 2001 census are rectified,” NPP state president Y Joykumar said after the meeting.
“It was also resolved to appeal to the Centre that the delimitation be deferred till 2026, after which the national delimitation is likely to be conducted based on the new Census. Under the prevailing situation, delimitation is not feasible,” he added.
The apex court had previously raised concerns over the delay in carrying out the delimitation exercise in these states despite a 2020 presidential order rescinding the deferment of the process.
Meanwhile, Manipur BJP legislator Rajkumar Imo Singh has written to Union Home Minister Amit Shah, seeking a transparent and inclusive delimitation process in the state.
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In the letter to the Union Home Minister, Singh requested the completion of the National Register of Citizens (NRC) process and removal of bogus voters from electoral rolls before the delimitation exercise begins in Manipur.
