The Election Commission of India (ECI) has notified a scheme for internally displaced persons of Manipur to vote at the relief camps, the State’s Chief Electoral Officer Pradeep Kumar Jha announced on Friday.
More than 60,000 people were displaced within weeks of the ethnic violence that broke out on May 3, 2023. Most of them are lodged in relief camps. Another 9,000 are taking shelter in Mizoram.
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An ECI statement said that the displaced electors were still enrolled at the places where they were ordinary residents before the conflict started. After due consultations with the Central and State governments, it was decided that these electors would “continue to be borne on the electoral rolls of the Assembly and Parliamentary constituencies concerned” in Manipur, it said.
Referring to “past precedent of similar nature”, the ECI said the internally displaced electors would be provided with the facility to vote at “special polling stations” to be set up in the relief camps.
“In order to identify the specified voters, the eligible voters staying in the relief camps or otherwise (staying with relatives/friends) be given the option to elicit the choice of ‘special polling station’ where they would like to cast their vote. It may suffice if the head of the family or any senior member of the family gives intimation in respect of all the family members and it may not be necessary to collect such information from each elector,” the ECI’s statement said.
Although the right to vote is an individual right, the gathering of such information from the head of the family would not militate against the individual’s right to vote at the time of election as the voter concerned will have to exercise the vote individually after satisfying the polling staff of her/his identity, the ECI said.
“An individual voter, if without any family members staying with her/him at the relief camp, may submit her/his own ID form,” it said.
The election in the special polling stations will be conducted by using separate EVMs and all rules, directions, and instructions applicable to the conduct of the poll at the original polling stations will also apply at these special polling stations.
The ECI said the contesting candidates would be informed, in writing, about the location of special polling stations with a request to depute their polling agents, if they wish to witness the polling process at the special polling stations.
“For poll day, the candidates shall authorise polling agents to be present at each special polling station. Poll shall be conducted under webcasting. In case where webcasting is not feasible, still videography will be carried out,” the ECI said.
