Political parties oppose Supreme Court’s delimitation directive

Imphal: Several political parties in Imphal, on Tuesday, resolved five-point resolution opposing the Supreme Court’s directive to complete the pending delimitation process in the northeastern states of Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, Manipur, and Assam.

“Conducting the pending delimitation process amid the ongoing clash between the Meitei and Kuki communities, based on the allegedly erroneous 2001 census data, could escalate the conflict further not only between the two warring communities but also involving the Naga community,” said former deputy chief Minister of Manipur, Yumnam Joykumar.

Addressing the media after the meeting, Joykumar, who is also president of NPP, Manipur said, while Manipur’s political parties welcomed the Supreme Court’s directive, conducting the delimitation process without rectifying the 2001 census data could reignite tensions in the state.

The five-point resolution adopted by the parties includes no delimitation until errors in the 2001 census are rectified; an appeal to conduct the delimitation process in 2026 as part of the national delimitation process; consideration of the ongoing conflict in Manipur, deeming the process unfeasible under the current scenario; a request to the Bharatiya Janata Party and the Indian National Congress to endorse the resolution and participate in the next meeting; a decision for Manipur’s political parties to become an intervening party in the Supreme Court petition to put the delimitation process on hold.

The meeting resolved to form a sub-committee to implement the resolutions.

The sub-committee members include Joykumar, Kshetrimayum Shanta, Nongthombam Singhajit, Oinam Nabakishor, and Thingom Bishwanath.

Joykumar said, “The correction of the 2001 census data could be done by cross-verifying it with Aadhaar, the electoral roll, or other reliable processes.”

The political parties which opposed the delimitation directive were Aadmi Party, Bahujan Samaj Party, Communist Party of India (Marxist), National People’s Party, Communist Party of India, Janata Dal United, Naga People’s Front, Republican Party of India (Athawale), All India Trinamool Congress, Nationalist Congress Party , Nationalist Congress Party SP, Revolutionary Socialist Party, Shiv Sena (SS), Shiv Sena UBT, and Manipur People’s Party.