Special polling stations to be set up in Manipur relief camps

Imphal: The Election Commission (EC) will set up special polling stations in relief camps to facilitate voters displaced by the ethnic violence in Manipur to cast their votes in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections, state Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Pradeep Kumar Jha said on Saturday.

Announcing the poll schedule for the Lok Sabha elections at a press conference in Delhi, Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Rajiv Kumar said that the displaced persons in Manipur would cast their votes in the special polling stations in relief camps in different districts.

The CEO, while briefing the media in Imphal, said that designated Assistant Returning Officers (AROs) would be appointed for each district to take the votes of the displaced persons in the relief camps.

Special polling stations would also be set up, adding that counting of votes will take place at the district headquarters.

The displaced eligible voters, staying in the relief camps, are required to submit ID related forms to the designated AROs at least 10 days before the date of polling. According to the final photo electoral rolls of all 60 Assembly Constituencies, published on January 22, the total number of voters in Manipur is 20,26,623 including 10,47,929 women.

The total number of polling stations is 2,955 in all 16 districts.

The CEO said that of the two Lok Sabha seats in Manipur, polling will be held in Outer Manipur (reserved for the tribals) in two phases - April 19 and April 26, while in the Inner Manipur seat, polling would be held on April 19.

The Manipur government is currently operating around 320 relief camps with more than 59,000 men, women and children staying there.

At least 220 people have been killed, 1,500 injured and 60,000 displaced after the ethnic violence between the Meitei and Kuki-Zomi community broke out on May 3 last year. (IANS)

Also Read: Election Commission changes counting schedule of Arunachal Pradesh and Sikkim (sentinelassam.com)

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