Mizoram: No Voting Plan for Displaced Kuki-Zo From Manipur

AIZAWL: As the nation prepares for the Lok Sabha elections next month, hundreds of Kuki-Zo people from Manipur who have been uprooted by ethnic violence and are seeking refuge in Mizoram may be unable to vote in the next elections.

A Mizoram election official said that currently no voting arrangement has been made for the Internally Displaced People (IDPs) from Manipur, who are currently taking shelter in Mizoram.

Election Commission Officials are discussing ways to help Manipuris displaced in various parts of the country vote in the upcoming Lok Sabha polls.

However, no written order has allowed them to vote from their host states, including Mizoram.

As per data from the Mizoram Home Department, 9,196 adults and children from Manipur have sought shelter in various parts of Mizoram.

Out of the 9,196 people, 1,340 are residing in 26 relief camps, while the remaining 7,856 are living outside the campus.

Meanwhile, Manipur will vote for two Lok Sabha seats in two phases, on April 19 and April 26.

The Manipuri people mainly, from the minority Kuki-Zo community have taken shelter in Mizoram. They have ethnic connections with the Mizos and have been living in the northeastern state since May last year after the ethnic violence erupted in Manipur.

Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar recently announced that the Election Commission has devised a plan to enable displaced individuals in Manipur to vote from their respective camps.

Manipur's Chief Electoral Officer (CEO), Pradeep Kumar Jha, told reporters that the voting scheme applies only within the state's borders. He also noted that no one has contacted them regarding the Manipuris sheltering in Mizoram.

The Indigenous Tribal Leaders Forum (ITLF) based in Churachandpur reported that Kuki-Zo people from Manipur are displaced not only in Mizoram but also in Delhi and various other cities across the country.

In previous instances, the Election Commission had permitted Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) to vote from their host states.

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