We had flagged the issue of adequate manpower for successful conduct of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections in Manipur in the present state of affairs or say ethnic relations. In every election, any government official with election responsibilities is transferred out of his or home district. And usually in the hill districts majority of the polling personnel like Presiding Officer and Polling Officer besides support staff are from the valley particularly Meiteis and Meitei Pangals. Well in the case of Naga areas, the usual pattern of deputing polling personnel from the valley can still be followed as there is no enmity between the Nagas and Meiteis in the present conflict. Yet, the security logistics of polling personnel passing through Kuki villages on the way to Naga areas had to be taken into account.
The basic question now is about whether there is an adequate number of non-Meitei employees who could be posted as polling personnel in the Kuki dominated areas like Churachandpur and Kangpokpi districts. Ever since the outbreak of ethnic violence, the posting pattern of government employees of all kinds has changed. Meitei employees, including officers, had been pulled out of all Kuki dominated areas and given posting in the valley districts and Naga areas.
Meanwhile, administrative postings and support are at present being manned by non-Manipuri officers and Meitei Pangal employees. On the other hand, Kuki-Zo officers and employees have been withdrawn from Imphal and the valley areas to be posted in their own areas. Well, the Election Commission must have broadly thought of how the deployment of civilian personnel is going to be done while deciding on the conduct of Lok Sabha elections, whatever be the status of ethnic relations. However, it would be interesting to watch how the Commission does it.
Well, we could deduce a broad security framework in the decision of spreading the polling date of the Outer Manipur Parliamentary constituency in two phases. In this election, voting for the Inner Manipur constituency has been clubbed with those of valley constituencies included in Outer Manipur and the surrounding assembly constituencies. Assembly segments going for polls in 1st phase are 31 assembly constituencies included in Inner Manipur along with the seven valley constituencies besides Chandel, Saikul, Kangpokpi, Saitu, Henglep, Churachandpur, Saikot and Singhat included in Outer Manipur constituency. Assembly segments going for polls in the 2nd Phase are mostly in Naga areas besides Jiribam, Tipaimukh and Thanlon.
As one could see, most of the assembly segments affected by the present violence in Outer Manipur constituency particularly those Kuki-Zo dominated segments in Kangpokpi and Churachandpur district. Hundreds of companies of central paramilitary forces are already present in these highly sensitive zones which have seen ethnic clashes between opposing groups. The idea seems to be having elections in the volatile areas first with full security cover with additional paramilitary forces in the first phase and moving out to conflict free Naga areas besides Pherzwal and Tengnoupal districts.
Moreh is Tengnoupal district is one of the most trouble-torn areas in the present conflict, where security forces and Kuki militants are competing to dominate most of the time. Area domination exercises by state and central forces have already begun in the surrounding hills. But as we said before, it would require much more security personnel while conducting free and fair elections. And, the aspect of civilian manpower needs to be settled at the earliest to clear any misgivings.
