Voters at a handful of polling places in Manipur state, India, returned to the polls on Monday under tight security measures following disruptions during the initial voting day last week. Election authorities nullified the results at 11 out of nearly 3,000 polling stations in Manipur after armed individuals damaged electronic voting machines on the first day of national elections on Friday. At least six stations reported instances of armed men breaking the voting machines, causing a need for re-polling.
Manipur has been plagued by ethnic violence between the state's two primary ethnic groups since May 2023, resulting in approximately 200 fatalities and displacing over 60,000 individuals. The conflict arose when Christian Kukis opposed a request by the predominantly Hindu Meiteis for special status to purchase land in Kuki-populated hills and other tribal areas. Despite the presence of the army in Manipur, the clashes have persisted in this mountainous state bordering Myanmar.
The world's largest democratic election commenced in India on Friday, with millions casting their votes across 21 states. The six-week-long multi-phase election is viewed as a referendum on Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who is seeking a third consecutive term. Vote counting is scheduled for June 4.
On the first day of voting, the opposition Congress party accused Manipur of election rigging and called for re-polling at 47 stations. The state witnessed incidents of armed group clashes on the same day, yet managed to achieve a 66.5% voter turnout despite the violence. Additional regions in Manipur will participate in the second phase of voting on April 26.
This article has been edited to correct the voter turnout figure for Manipur state.
