Repoll to be held at 34 booths in 11 Manipur constituencies

New Delhi: Polling will be held again at 34 booths across 11 constituencies in Manipur owing to fraud and violence during voting in the state assembly elections on 28 January.

“We have recommended repolls to the Election Commission,” said P.C. Lawmkunga, additional chief secretary and chief electoral officer in the state.

As many as 279 candidates vied for 60 assembly seats in the elections.

“We are holding repolls as there have been instances of impersonation, threat, breaking and snatching of EVMs (electronic voting machines) and attacks by insurgents,” said a senior Election Commission official in Delhi on condition of anonymity.

There have been 121 incidents of violence in the state since elections were announced on 24 December. On the polling day, an insurgent opened fire in Chandel district, killing three government officials, a member of the security services and a voter. Of the 2,357 polling stations in the state, only 160 were classified as normal by the Election Commission, with 1,325 termed sensitive and 872 hyper-sensitive.

The move has sparked protests from the Nagaland People’s Front (NPF), which fought elections for the first time as part of a plan to contest polls in the Naga-inhabited areas of Manipur, Arunachal Pradesh and Assam. The NPF contested 12 seats in the four hill districts of Senapati, Ukhrul, Chandel and Tamenglong, which have a significant Naga population. The NPF has denied the accusation that it was collaborating with the rebels.

Manipur state elections have seen large fluctuations in voting percentages. While 82% voted in the 2007 assembly polls, the number fell to 46% in the 2009 parliamentary elections. The 28 January elections had a turnout of 79.35%.

utpal.b@livemint.com