Final electoral roll published in Manipur; 1.32 lakh voters removed

Imphal: As many as 1.32 lakh voters have been removed from Manipur’s electoral roll following the publication of the final voters’ list. The deleted voters account for 6.33 per cent of the total electorate, raising fresh controversy over the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the electoral roll.

The new electoral roll has more than 19.6 lakh voters. The Election Commission has said the SIR is a routine exercise aimed at eliminating irregularities from the electoral roll.

However, concerns have been raised over the timing of the exercise, as lakhs of people have been displaced from their constituencies by the conflict in the state and are currently living in relief camps or other states.

Many people also lost or had their documents destroyed during the conflict. This has raised concerns over whether large numbers of displaced people may have been removed from the electoral roll by categorising them as having no permanent place of residence.

The removal of 6.33 per cent of voters could have a significant impact on the outcome of the forthcoming Assembly election, particularly as electoral contests in several constituencies are decided by narrow margins. In many constituencies, the winning margin has been between 1,000 and 3,000 votes.

Against this backdrop, the removal of such a large number of voters from the electoral roll is expected to have a significant impact on the state’s political equations.