Committee formed to campaign for fair delimitation
Source: Chronicle News Service

Imphal, April 12 2025: To create proper and complete awareness among the people about delimitation, a committee titled 'Campaign for Just and Fair Delimitation' has been formed by the Committee on Civil Society Kangleipak (CCSK), National Identity Protection Committee (NIPCO), Ethno Heritage Council (HERICOUN), League of Indigenous Peoples Upliftment (LIPUL), and other allied organisations.

CCSK president Jeetendra Ningomba, who has been appointed convener of the newly formed committee, informed media persons during a press conference held at the CCSK office at Wangkhei on Saturday that the state is currently facing numerous issues amid the ongoing, unresolved crisis.

Among these, the recent directive of the Supreme Court to complete the delimitation exercise for four states, including Manipur, within three months is particularly significant.

He stated that before the commencement of the exercise, it is crucial for people in both the hills and valley regions of the state to gain a clear understanding of the delimitation process, which is conducted based on census data.

Accordingly, the committee was constituted with the objective of raising public awareness about delimitation and initiating discussions on the pros and cons of conducting such an exercise under the current circumstances.

According to Jeetendra Ningomba, an expert' committee has been formed under the campaign, which has scheduled discussions with legal experts on April 15 and with leaders from various sectors on April 16.Since the Election Commission of India carries out delimitation based on census data, it is important to thoroughly examine the census data of Manipur from 2001, 2011, and 2021 in consultation with the public.

The committee is working to inform and engage the public before the delimitation begins, he said and appealed, to the public to contribute any relevant documents, knowledge, of experiences related to the process.

The committee's organisation in-charge, Longjam Ratan, also addressed the media and reiterated that Manipur was named in the Supreme Court order requiring completion of the delimitation process within three months for select Northeastern states.

Hence, it is essential for academicians and the public to understand delimitation at the grassroots level prior to the initiation of the process.

He noted that the 2001 census data of Manipur had several discrepancies, including demographic imbalances, and argued that it would be inappropriate to proceed with the delimitation exercise based on flawed data.

Ratan further stated that it would be more appropriate for the Government of India to conduct the exercise based on data from genuine citizens of Manipur, after identifying outsiders.

He added that the people of Manipur prefer the delimitation to be carried out using data from the 2031 census, which should be collected only after the full implementation of the National Register of Citizens (NRC) .

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