Manipur Lok Sabha elections 2024: Congress demands ECI to declare Jiribam as hypersensitive areas

Having the apprehension of undesirable incidents in the second phase election on April 26, the Congress party demanded the authority concerned to announce Jiribam as a hypersensitive area and polling stations as vulnerable polling stations.

Addressing media in a press conference held at Congress Bhawan, former Congress minister, Kh Ratankumar said that many untoward and undemocratic incidents happened in Manipur during the first phase of the 18th Lok Sabha election which was scheduled on April 19. The democratic system of Manipur has been completely diluted because of the undesirable incidents that happened in the first phase of the election such as vote rigging, booth capturing, violence, intimidation, and threats which people had witnessed on social media.

He continued and said that to prevent from occurring those unwanted incidents, a team of the Congress party visited areas where the second phase election was to be held. So far party have the apprehension of unwanted incidents in some places of Jiribam district. 

Also Read: Manipur Phase 2 LS elections: 202 polling stations to be managed by women, 1 exclusively by PwD polling personnel

The polling agent of the Congress candidate for the outer Manipur Parliamentary Constituency had submitted an application to the Election Commission of India through the state election commission. The party urged to announce 17 polling stations in Jiribam district as vulnerable and hypersensitive to conduct election free and fair manner, he added.

Ratan informed while alleging that as per the application submitted by the polling agent some miscreants and anti-social elements have been trying to disturb the Congress Workers in the 40-Jiribam assembly constituency. Those miscreants allegedly Congress workers not to sit as Polling Agents of Alfred Kanngam S. Arthur, INC Candidate for 2-Outer Manipur Parliamentary Constituency. 

The Voters and Congress Workers have apprehension that they may not be able to exercise their right to vote, he added while urging authorities concerned to declare the whole constituency of Jiribam as hyper-sensitive and declare the noted 17 (seventeen) polling stations as Vulnerable Polling Stations. 

The polling stations are i) 40/1-Kalinagar (A), ii) 40/2-Kalinagar (B), iii) 40/3-Babupara (A), iv) 40/4-Babupara (B),v) 40/5-Babupara (C), vi) 40/6-Dibong, vii) 40/7-Kadamtala, viii) 40/8-Islamabad, ix) 40/9-Chingdong Leikai, x) 40/10-Champanagar, xi) 40/11-Chandrapur, (xii) 40/12-Hilghar (A), (xili) 40/13 Hilghat (B), (xiv) 40/14-Hilghat Khunou, (xv) 40/15-Uchathol, (xvi) 40/16-Boroikhal and (xvii) 40/17-Babukhal.