Elections ‘meaningless’ for displaced voters in violence-hit Manipur

Nganthoibi Mutum and her family were displaced last year after violence broke out in Churachandpur, Manipur, and have been living in a relief camp in Imphal, unsure when they will be able to return. Home. With a month to go before the Lok Sabha polls, thousands of voters in the violence-hit state are currently occupying relief camps and will be allowed to cast their votes there.

The Inner Manipur seats will go to polls on April 19, while the tribal reserved Outer Manipur seats will go to polls in two different phases – April 19 and 26.

Victims of the violence, displaced by the violence and disillusioned with their leaders, say elections are the last thing on their minds as voting season approaches.

“We are all refugees here. Our minds are filled with worries about an uncertain future. We are in the middle of a conflict, so now is not the right time for us to think about elections. We no longer trust our leaders. They do not Do anything for us,” Nganthoibi said.

Despite special measures taken by the electoral commission to facilitate voting, displaced voters remain unsure of their options.

“I think the government has not given us full rights. Even if there are special polling stations, we do not have the same peace to choose our representatives. If we were at home, we would be thinking of elections,” Suresh said.

“Our votes mean almost nothing now. We have been displaced for more than ten months. We have no hope,” said Lulen, a displaced person from Churachandpur.

“We are languishing in relief camps. Our food rations are erratic. Voting means nothing to us,” Ramwa said.

Those who have lost their homes forever say they don’t even have important identification documents like voter ID cards.

Although the violence has subsided in the past few months, holding elections for Manipur’s two Lok Sabha seats remains a major challenge for the Election Commission.

Manipur Chief Electoral Officer PK Jha said: “Our workforce has also been displaced. Since human resources are limited, conducting voting in two phases ensures that we have adequate personnel and better security.”

In 2019, the BJP won the Meitei-dominated seats in Inner Manipur and its ally the NPF won the tribal-reserved seats in Outer Manipur. This time, the BJP hopes to repeat that success, but the task will not be easy as the Congress and other opposition parties have made the violence in Manipur their key poll issue across the country.

Ethnic clashes between the Meitei and Kuki tribes in Manipur have killed more than 200 people since May last year. According to officials, security forces have rescued more than 25,000 people after the unrest, and about 50,000 people are living in camps.