Manipur: Parties for 41 polling station dispersed in Jiribam ahead of voting

In a press release issued by the District Information Officer (DIO) in Jiribam, Manipur, it was announced that polling parties for the 41 polling stations in the 40-Jiribam Assembly Segment of the 2-Outer Manipur (ST) Parliamentary Constituency have been dispersed. 

This action took place amid tight security and following all mandatory procedures.

The dispersal of polling parties occurred from the DC Complex in Chingdong Leikai, Jiribam. Before heading to their respective polling stations, the heavily guarded strong rooms at the DC Office were opened starting from 8:45 a.m. 

The dispersal of Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) and Voter Verified Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT) machines was conducted in the presence of the District Election Officer (DEO), Superintendent of Police (SP), Assistant Returning Officer (ARO), Nodal Officers, and representatives of contesting candidates and political parties.

Out of the 41 polling stations, 5 are designated as model polling stations, and 8 are women-only polling stations. Additionally, there is 1 Special polling station under the "scheme for IDPs of Manipur to vote in relief camps' ' located in Bidyanagar Multipurpose Sports Complex. The total number of voters in this segment is 30,809, comprising 15,660 males, 15,148 females, and 1 transgender voter.

Of particular note, polling stations 40/16 and 40/17 situated at Babukhal and Boroikhal are accessible only by waterways.

During the flagging off of the polling parties, DEO Jiribam Krishna Kumar, IAS, urged the polling parties to remain vigilant, coordinate effectively, and contribute to a peaceful and successful election process.

The press release also highlighted that there are 15 critical and 13 vulnerable polling stations in the 40-Jiribam segment. To ensure security and smooth conduct, 5 companies of Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) have been deployed alongside armed and civil police personnel from Manipur Police. A total of 200 personnel, including reserve staff from various departments, will be engaged as polling staff on the day of polling.

Voting is scheduled to take place on April 26, starting at 7 a.m. until 4 p.m. across the 41 polling stations.