Imphal: BJP MLAs in Manipur have called for a review of the 2001 Census and the implementation of the National Register of Citizens (NRC) before proceeding with the delimitation exercise in the state.
The party’s legislators convened a meeting to discuss the Supreme Court’s directive to the Centre to complete the delimitation process within three months.
The demand for revisiting the 2001 Census comes after 13 political parties recently urged the Centre to delay the delimitation process until corrections to the headcount errors from that year are made.
Senior BJP MLA Konthoujam Govindas emphasized that the review of the census is essential before moving forward with delimitation.
In addition, the NRC implementation has become a key issue in the context of delimitation.
The Coordinating Committee on Manipur (COCOMI), an umbrella organisation of Meitei civil society groups, has raised concerns about the impact of delimitation without addressing the presence of illegal immigrants, which could harm the interests of indigenous communities.
The delimitation exercise, scheduled for 2026 across India, is facing complications in Manipur due to ongoing violence between Meitei and Kuki-Zo groups, which has resulted in significant casualties and displacement since May 2023.
This violence has made the situation unsuitable for such a process, prompting the Centre to delay consultations for Manipur, as well as Arunachal Pradesh and Nagaland.
Meanwhile, the state has been under President’s rule since February, following the resignation of Chief Minister N Biren Singh, and the assembly remains in suspended animation until further developments.
Out of the 37 BJP MLAs in Manipur, 12 attended Tuesday’s meeting to discuss the delimitation issue.
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Despite the low turnout, party leaders emphasised that all BJP legislators support the implementation of the NRC and a review of the 2001 Census before proceeding with the delimitation.
Earlier, on March 25, a meeting of 13 political parties had also resolved to delay the delimitation process until the errors in the 2001 Census are rectified.
The BJP and Congress did not participate in that meeting, which included representatives from the NPP, JD(U), CPI(M), and other smaller parties.
