Manipur: Kuki Organization Urges Members to Abstain from Lok Sabha Elections

IMPHAL: in a major development, the Kuki Inpi Sadar Hills instructed Kuki community members in Sadar Hills to not take part in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections.

The Kuki Inpi Sadar Hills, the main authority for the Kuki community, issued a strong statement urging all Kuki residents in Sadar Hills to refrain from voting in the upcoming Lok Sabha Elections, emphasizing their firm stance and unity.

The Kuki Inpi Sadar Hills clarified that their stance on the Lok sabha Polls is not about “boycotting” but rather choosing to “abstain from voting”.

The Kuki Inpi Sadar Hills’ Department of Information and Publicity statement explained that because there was no candidate from the Kuki-Zo community in the 18th Lok Sabha election, they tried to choose a candidate everyone agreed on from the four candidates in the outer Manipur PC.

After consulting with all involved parties, as recognized by the Kuki Inpi Manipur, everyone agreed to abstain from voting in the upcoming election.

Four candidates are running for the II-Outer Manipur Parliamentary Constituency. They are Kachui Timothy Zimik, who is supported by the BJP-backed NFP, Alfred Kanngam Arthur from the Congress party, and two Independent candidates, S. Kho John and Dr. Alyson Abonmai.

Sadar Hills Kangpokpi District, which has over one Lakh voters, is scheduled to vote in the first phase of elections on April 19 as part of the Outer Manipur parliamentary constituency.

Earlier, Union Home Minister and senior BJP leader Amit Shah on Monday said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led government's priority is to establish peace and ensure unity among all communities in Manipur.

“We would not allow dividing Manipur at any cost,” the Home Minister told the gathering amid cheers and claps by thousands who gathered at the rally.

Since the ethnic riots began in Manipur on May 3 last year, 10 tribal MLAs belonging to Kuki-Zomi communities and several leading tribal organizations including the Indigenous Tribal Leaders' Forum and Kuki Inpi Manipur (KIM) have been demanding separate administrations or a separate state for the tribals living in the state.

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