Political parties urge Governor to defer delimitation exercise
Source: Chronicle News Service

Imphal, May 12 2025: Fifteen representatives from various political parties barring BJP and the INC called on Governor Ajay Kumar Bhalla on Monday at Raj Bhavan to express their concerns regarding anomalies in census and suggested conducting delimitation exercise in the state only after taking a fresh census.

The Governor gave patient hearing to the concerns raised by representatives of political parties and opined that it would be better for the state to conduct delimitation exercise after taking a fresh census in 2026, representative of a political party informed the media after meeting the Governor.

The 15 representatives were from the National People's Party (NPP), Janata Dal (United), Communist Party of India (M), Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), Nationalist Congress Party - Sharad Pawar (NCP-SP), Revolutionary Socialist Party (RSP), Republican Party of India - Athawale (RPI-A), Shiv Sena (UBT), Manipur People's Party (MPP) and Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP).

During the discussion, the representatives submitted a memorandum and voiced their concerns about the delimitation exercise.

The meeting was also attended by secretary to the Governor Sumant Singh.

The 15 representatives later held a press conference at the NPP's Naoremthong state office, wherein NPP state president Y Joykumar said that the Governor was apprised about the perils of conducting delimitation exercise based on the erroneous 2001 census and suggested conducting the exercise only after taking a fresh census in 2026 .

The Governor accorded importance to the concerns raised by the political parties arid expressed his willingness to conduct delimitation exercise after taking a fresh census, Joykumar claimed.

According to Joykumar, the Governor was well aware of concerns of different communities in conducting delimitation exercise based on erroneous 2001 census and even informed the representatives that though order for conducting census in 2026 had already been issued it would be most prudent for the state to conduct delimitation exercise based on report of the fresh census.

The Governor was also apprised about delay in elections for the district councils, municipalities and Panchayat and appointment of illegal ad hoc committees to run the local bodies, Joykumar said adding that the Governor was urged to initiate immediate steps to conduct the elections.

JDU Manipur vice president and former chief secretary Oinam Nabakishore also informed media per sons that representatives of the political parties not only raised concerns on the erroneous 2001 census but also cautioned the Governor about the likely serious law and order ramification if the delimitation exercise is conducted based on the 2001 census.

Accordingly, the Governor was urged to inform the Centre not to conduct delimitation exercise based on 2001 census.

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