"Displaced Voters Have Sent A Message...": Manipur Poll Body On 95% Turnout In Relief Camp Booths

Manipur chief electoral officer PK Jha has sought reports from returning officers detailing vandalism and violence in polling booths and where all re-polling would be needed as demanded by candidates. Repolling would be held only if the Election Commission decides so after going through the reports, the officer said.

Mr Jha said the state election commission has got complaints from three candidates about violence, vandalism and alleged malpractices.

He said the state election commission will send a report to the Election Commission with details of what happened on voting day in Inner Manipur constituency and some assembly segments of Outer Manipur seat.

The special booths set up at relief camps for internally displaced people of the ethnic violence to vote recorded an average turnout of 95 per cent, Mr Jha told NDTV today.

"Internally displaced voters have given a message that their aspirations would be reflected by their votes," Mr Jha said.

He said the turnout was "very low" in Kangpokpi district, and the returning officers have been told to find out why.

Kuki-Zo civil society groups had called a boycott of the Lok Sabha elections amid the ethnic tensions in the border state. Kangpokpi is a Kuki-Zo-dominated district. Churachandpur, another district dominated by these tribes, reported some voting but not like what it used to be in peaceful times.

The state reported 68 per cent turnout when voting ended at 4 pm yesterday, in what was seen as one of the lowest turnouts in the state.

Several incidents of vandalism, armed people threatening voters not to come out of their homes, four incidents of damaging electronic voting machines (EVM), allegations of proxy voting by an armed group, and one incident of firing were reported. Four people were injured in firing.

Visuals from a polling booth in Khaidem in Imphal West showed a group of people breaking an EVM over allegations that an armed group voted by proxy on behalf of some 100 people, sources said. Soon, Inner Manipur Congress candidate A Bimol Akoijam rushed to the polling booth and spoke with the security personnel and polling agents.

BJP sources alleged most of the locations from where violence were reported were Congress strongholds and "compromised areas".