Imphal, April 2 (IANS) The Congress in Manipur on Wednesday opposed any possible delimitation exercises in the state based on the 2001 census report, and the main opposition party demanded a thorough rectification of the census data before re-demarcation of electoral boundaries.
Congress Vice-President in Manipur, Hareshwar Goswami, said that the issue of inaccuracy in the 2001 census arose after detecting a disproportionate growth rate of people in nine subdivisions across three districts in the state.
“The growth rate of people was found to be over 100 per cent in a few subdivisions of the state,” he told the media.
The Congress leader said that the party supports delimitation, but it must be based on a correct census without any errors. Everyone knows that the 2001 census had many irregularities, he claimed.
“Most people, political parties, civil societies and social organisations in Manipur are not opposed to the delimitation process. Most political parties, civil societies and social organisations and others are asking for it to be conducted based on a genuine Census,” Goswami pointed out.
Saying that the Congress’s stance on re-demarcation of electoral boundaries is that the exercise must be conducted on the basis of the 2021 Census and the delimitation to defer till 2026, he requested the government that no delimitation should be carried out based on the inaccurate 2001 census.
On March 25, leaders of 16 political parties in Manipur held a significant meeting and urged the Central government to defer delimitation of constituencies till 2026, when national delimitation would be undertaken with the new census figures.
CPI-M Manipur state Kshetrimayum Santa, who was one of the three convenors of the March 25 meeting, had said that the ruling BJP and the opposition Congress did not attend the meeting.
“The meeting had resolved that the delimitation in Manipur should not be held till the rectification of the errors in the 2001 census in Manipur. We have also decided to urge the Central government to defer the delimitation till 2026, when national delimitation would be undertaken with the new census figures,” Santa had said.
He said that the meeting also resolved that, considering the prevailing ethnic conflict in Manipur since May 3, 2023, it is not possible to carry out delimitation.
“If any delimitation exercise were undertaken in Manipur, there would be real disturbances in public order. And as such delimitation is not possible,” the Left leader had said.
The 16 political parties’ meeting follows a recent directive from the Supreme Court, which has instructed the completion of the pending delimitation exercise in the northeastern states of Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, Manipur, and Assam within the next three months.
The leaders of 16 political parties attended the March 25 meeting include the parties AAP, BSP, CPI-M, NPP, CPI, JD-U, Naga People’s Front, RPI-A, AIFB, Trinamool Congress, NCP, NCP (SP) SP, RSP, Shiv Sena (Uddhav Thackeray) and Manipur People’s Party.
–IANS
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