'Faulty census as the premise unacceptable'
Student bodies say no to delimitation
Source: The Sangai Express

Imphal, April 02 2025: As many as six student bodies including AIMS, DESAM, SUK, KSA and MSF have categorically said no to delimitation of Assembly and Parliamentary Constituencies in Manipur.

The student bodies have also called upon all the people to launch mass awareness programmes on why any initiative for delimitation should be opposed in the current situation.

Speaking to media persons at the Kwakeithel office of AIMS today, the student bodies coordinator Ningthoujam Dhanakumar Meetei said that the Supreme Court's directive issued on March 17, 2025 for delimitation across the country is unacceptable to the six student bodies.

Based on the census data of 2001, a delimitation process was initiated across the country in 2002 but Manipur, Nagaland, Assam and Arunachal Pradesh were left out of the initiative because the census data in these States were conspicuously faulty and contested.

As the census data showed abnormal population growth, there was a big issue in Manipur, Dhanakumar said.

After hearing a PIL, the Gauhati High Court passed an order in 2007 which categorically stated that delimitation should be done in Manipur only after the 2001 census data are properly verified, he said.

Taking due note of the exceptional situation of Manipur, the President of India deferred the delimitation process with respect to Manipur, he said.

The State Cabinet formed a committee in 2003 to examine the census data of 2001.After examining the data, the committee submitted a report and pointed out unnatural population growth in the four sub-divisions of Mao-Maram, Paomata, Purul and Chakpikarong, Dhanakumar said.

Because of the abnormal population growth recorded at several places, the people of Manipur rejected the census report of 2001 .

For all these reasons, any delimitation process without first rectifying the flawed census data is unacceptable.

In addition to the inflated population figures, there is also a big issue of the enlistment of a huge number of illegal immigrants in the voters' list fraudulently.

Moreover, there is a simmering tension between two communities in the State.

As such, the Government of India must exempt Manipur from the proposed delimitation exercise, Dhanakumar said.

If the Government of India forcibly carries out delimitation under the existing conditions, it will have far reaching consequences and spark massive unrest in the State, he said.

Saying that the student bodies will launch a mass awareness campaign on why delimitation should be opposed under the existing conditions, he also called upon all the people to take a firm and collective stand against delimitation.

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