– More than 24 thousand voters living in relief camps will vote at special centers.

Imphal: More than 24 thousand voters of Manipur, which has been burning in the fire of violence for several months, are living in relief camps. Special arrangements for voting have been made for them. They will get the facility to vote at special centres. They will exercise their franchise at special polling stations in the two-phase elections for the two Lok Sabha seats in the state. Officials gave this information on Sunday. Election officials said that displaced voters will exercise their franchise at 94 special polling centers to be set up in relief camps in 10 out of 16 districts of the state on the instructions of the Election Commission.
The Manipur government currently runs about 320 relief camps, which house more than 59,000 men, women and children. More than 70,000 people, including women and children from both Meitei and Kuki-Zomi communities, were displaced from their homes and villages and took shelter in safer places in the state and neighboring Mizoram after caste violence broke out in Manipur on May 3 last year.
The Inner Manipur Lok Sabha seat will go to polls in the first phase on April 19 and the Outer Manipur seat reserved for tribals will go to polls in two phases – on April 19 and April 26. The highest number of 24 polling stations will be set up in Kangpokpi district, followed by Bishnupur. 22 will be set up in the district, 15 in Churachandpur district and the remaining 13 in seven other districts. According to officials, 29 special polling stations will be set up in relief camps under the Inner Manipur Lok Sabha constituency, while 65 such polling stations will be set up in the Outer Manipur parliamentary seat areas.