In the end of the first phase of Lok Sabha elections, the Chief Electoral Officer of Manipur stated that re-polling will take place at 11 polling booths in the inner Manipur Lok Sabha seat.
The Manipur Chief Electoral Officer announced that voting at these stations will take place again on April 22.
This choice was made after receiving an order from the Election Commission, which invalidated the first polls conducted on April 19. Until 7 pm on Friday, Manipur recorded a 69.18℅ voter turnout.
As per the CEO’s directive, the Election Commission of India has declared the election held on April 19 in 11 polling stations of inner Manipur constituency to be invalid under Sections 58(2) and 58A(2) of the Representation of the People Act, 1951. The new polling date is set for April 22, 2024, with voting hours from 7:00 AM to 5:00 PM.
Repolling will take place in several polling stations, including Moirangkampu Sajeb Upper Primary School and S. Ibobi Primary School (East Wing) in Khurai assembly constituency, four in Kshetrigao, one in Thongju, three in Uripok, and one in Konthoujam.
What happened during the Polls?
During the first phase of the Lok Sabha election in Manipur, which ended on the evening of April 19, officials reported an average voter turnout of 72.17% despite incidences of voter intimidation, booth-capturing, and violence at various polling booths.
Three individuals were taken into custody in relation to the violent incident.
The data from the Election Commission at 11:30 p.m. showed that the Inner Manipur constituency had a voting rate of approximately 76.05%, whereas parts of Outer Manipur had a polling rate of 65.22%. Approximately 81% of the electorate in Inner Manipur participated in the 2019 election.
Several poll officers in the State told The Hindu that there were multiple cases of electronic voting machines (EVMs) being harmed during disturbances at booths where re-polling might be necessary. CEO Pradeep Kumar Jha informed that these occurrences were reported in several polling booths within a few districts.
Political Parties blame each other
During this volatile time, the BJP and the Congress have both accused one another of inciting violence and breaking the election Model Code of Conduct. Manipur has a history of strong voter turnout, as evidenced by the astounding 82% turnout in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, despite ongoing conflicts.
Girish Chodhankar Election incharge of Manipur and Nagaland for AICC, wrote on X that “violence and booth capturing by armed miscreants have been witnessed in several place”.
As violence, booth capturing, proxy voting & incidents of mob damaging EVM machines took place, we had demanded repolling in 47 booths with the @CeoManipur & @ECISVEEP New Delhi in the inner Manipur Constituency, but unfortunately, ECI ordered repolling in only in 11 booths… pic.twitter.com/k7A4DGquBf
— Girish Chodankar (@girishgoa) April 20, 2024
