Manipur district election officers begin SIR outreach, meet parties

Indian Express

a day ago

Even as Manipur remains under President's Rule, district election officers have begun holding meetings with local representatives of political parties to discuss the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls. While these meetings have already been held in at least five of the 16 districts in the state, notices convening such meetings have been issued in the remaining districts.
On Monday, representatives of the BJP, Congress and the Kuki People's Alliance attended one such meeting in Kangpokpi district. According to an official there, the meeting was held based on 'informal' instructions issued by the State Election Commission. 'There was no formal notice from either the Election Commission of India or from the State Election Commission to conduct such meetings. However, we were given an informal communication that in view of the ensuing SIR, a meeting should be held with political parties to sensitise them on the process, as well as on pre-revision house-to-house surveys and rationalisation of polling stations,' the official said.
At the meeting, representatives of all three parties are learnt to have expressed concern over the non-inclusion of Aadhaar cards for the exercise.
Amid the ongoing Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls in Bihar, ahead of the Assembly elections there, the Supreme Court has asked the Election Commission to consider inclusion of Aadhaar, Voter ID and ration cards as proof for updating the rolls.
'We had communicated with the representatives about the 11 documents that are permissible for proving identity and address. They were concerned that in a hilly, tribal area like this, most people may not have the other required documents but are most likely to have Aadhaar since it is linked with so many things,' said the official.
Thangjamang Kipgem, a BJP leader who attended the meeting, said the concern was shared by other parties as well. 'We are very concerned about this, because Aadhaar is one document that everyone, from new voters to old people, are most likely to have. The officials told us that they will convey our concerns to the authorities,' he said.
A similar meeting was also held in Kamjong on Monday, which was attended by representatives of the BJP, Congress and the Naga People's Front. 'We explained what the process is and what the documents required are. The representatives emphasised that every eligible citizen must be a part of the electoral roll,' said a district official. Similar meetings have also been held in Noney, Ukhrul and Thoubal districts.
Earlier this month, the state also conducted training sessions on the SIR for booth level officers and their supervisors across multiple Assembly constituencies. With these preparatory steps, Manipur has set the ball rolling for an imminent SIR, even as its neighbour, Assam, has effectively sought a delay in the exercise in the state by asking for the inclusion in a final NRC — a matter that has been in limbo for six years — as among the admissible documents.