Committee lays down riders for delimitation
Source: The Sangai Express

Imphal, March 22 2025: Rectification of the 2001 census and publication of an updated Aadhaar linked voters' list must be prerequisite conditions for conducting delimitation in Manipur, the Joint Committee Opposing Delimitation Exercise in Manipur has said.

This demand of the committee came amid rising calls for implementation of the National Register of Citizens (NRC) prior to the proposed delimitation in several States including Manipur.

Notably, the Supreme Court had recently given three months to the Centre to conduct delimitation in the States of Manipur, Nagaland, Mizoram and Assam.

Following the Supreme Court direction, several organisations including the Coordinating Committee on Manipur Integrity (COCOMI) had urged the Centre to update NRC in Manipur before any delimitation exercise.

In a statement issued to the media today, the Joint Committee Opposing Delimitation Exercise in Mani- pur hinted that a delimitation exercise without verifying genuine citizens here would be a blunder.

Any delimitation based on flawed census would be faulty.

If delimitation is to be conducted, the 2001 census must be rectified and voters' list must be updated linking the Aadhaar cards first, said the committee.

It recalled that various petitions had been filed with the Court in the past to rectify the 2001 census.

Even as the Supreme Court has granted the Centre three months to conduct delimitation, the exercise is likely to be delayed due to the ongoing conflict in Manipur.

Nonetheless, the voters' list must be updated by linking Aadhaar cards, and the 2001 census must be rectified, said the committee.

"If these two prerequisite conditions are met, then there is no objection to carrying out delimitation exer- cises in Manipur," added the committee.

It may be noted here that recent censuses had shown "abnormal growth" of population in some hill districts of Manipur, and many had identified illegal immigration from neighbouring countries as the reason for the "astronomical surge in the population and number of villages" .

Meanwhile, CPI leader Dr Moirangthem Nara has called upon both the ruling and Opposition parties of Manipur to take a collective decision on the issue of delimitation.

Speaking to media persons at Irabot Bhavan here today, Dr Nara informed that the Left parties would organise a joint meeting of all political parties at NPP Manipur State unit office located at Naoremthong at 2 pm on March 25 on the question of carrying out delimitation in Manipur within three months.

CPI Manipur State Council Secretary L Sotinkumar said that the Supreme Court's directive to carry out delimitation in Manipur within three months was jointly discussed by representatives of CPI, CPI(M), RSP and Forward Bloc on Friday and these Left parties are of the common view that the time is not right for any delimitation exercise in Manipur.

On account of the violent crisis which erupted on May 3, 2023, a state of unrest and turmoil has been still gripping Manipur, he said.

Delimitation should be done according to the voters' list but there is a big issue of insertion of a large number of illegal immigrants from Myanmar in the voters' list, Sotinkumar said.

At the same time, the indigenous people have been vehemently demanding implementation of NRC in the State in order to identify and remove all the illegal immigrants from the voters' list.

Moreover, a large number of voters are staying in relief camps, away from their native villages/homes, he pointed out.

Any delimitation exercise under the prevailing situation would only create more troubles and conflicts, Sotinkumar said before urging the authorities concerned to put on halt all works related to delimitation in Manipur.

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