The forthcoming delimitation in Manipur is likely to give the democratic rights to the voters of eight Assembly segments who were denied the right to contest the Parliamentary elections.
Former Minister N. Nimaichand Luwang and now a BJP leader in one of the segments told The Hindu on Tuesday that elections in these segments had been one-way traffic. He explained that the voters in these segments, seven in Thoubal district and one in the Jiribam district, had the voting right only to elect a tribal MP but the majority non-tribals could not contest the elections.
On February 28, the government had issued a notification saying that delimitation works shall be started in four northeastern States, including Manipur.
These eight segments had been included in the Outer Manipur Parliamentary reserved for the tribals.
The Thoubal District Demand Committee has been demanding this democratic right all these years. Another group, the Joint Non-government Voluntary Organisation, Kakching feels that the delimitation will bring a final solution to the problem.
P. Somorendro, co-convener of the Thoubal MP Candidature Demand Committee, said that the voters of these segments had been denied the right to contest the Parliamentary election. In the past, people in these segments had even boycotted the elections.
The Manipur Assembly passed a resolution on May 13, 2003, on this impasse and sent a memorandum to the Centre demanding an early solution.
The eight Assembly segments had elected several Ministers from these segments as well as Okram Ibobi, a record holder since he is the first and only MLA who became Chief Minister for three consecutive terms.
