Hectic efforts for conduct of ADC elections; CS calls meeting on Feb 18

Imphal, February 12: Manipur government has appraised Election Commission of India not to fix any election during the month of April next stating that elections to the District Councils of hill districts of Manipur will be held during the month stated above.

Manipur government had recently decided to hold elections to the six Autonomous District Councils, Churachandpur ADC, Chandel ADC, Senapati ADC, Kangpokpi ADC, Tamenglong ADC and Ukhrul ADC in the month of April after long gap more than two decades.

Principal secretary (Hills) P Gonmei, in a statement noted that State Election Commission, Manipur is in hectic effort for the publication of lists of polling stations. The draft electoral rolls will be published on March 2 while the final electoral rolls after hearing to the claims and objections will be published on March 27.

Official source today said that state chief secretary, DS Poonia has also convened a high level meeting with state Chief Electoral Officer (CEO), DGP, Commissioners of Hill Department, Tribal Development, and Secretary of State Election Commission on February 18 to discuss on election processes taken up.

The meeting will discus on the security arrangement and chalk out a security deployment plan and manpower require for the elections which is likely to simultaneously in all the constituencies of district councils, an official source said.

It is worth mentioning that elections to the district councils in Manipur had been held up since the last election held in early part of eighties on the demand for extension of the provisions of VIth Schedule provision of the Constitution of India, the Constitutional Rights over lands and natural resources of the hill tribal people amending the Manipur (Hill Areas) District Council Act 1971, an act under which elections to the ADC in Manipur hold.

Manipur government amended the Act by a bill passed in the middle part of 2008 but holding of elections could not materialize till date due to the controversies in the delimitation of ADC constituencies.
After having had repealed the erstwhile District Council (Manipur Hills) Rules of 1972, the volumous modified Rules have been published by the state government on October 21, 2009 under which the process for conduct of the elections initiated by the State Election Commission.
Political parties and individuals have already started electioneering for the forthcoming elections. Hill based political party, Peoples' Democratic Alliance (PDA) and MLAs from hill districts are likely to take key role in contesting the election as they have already started camera meetings at their level to field candidates.

(Hueiyen News Service)