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Our Correspondent
Imphal, Jan. 19 (EMN): Manipur Pradesh Congress Committee has appealed to reschedule the polling date of the Phase-I of Manipur Assembly Elections on February 27 as it falls on a Sunday, which is a day of worship for the Christian community.
Working president K Meghachandra of MPCC briefing media said MPCC will write to the Election Commission of India (ECI) to reschedule the election schedule on any other day other than Sunday as it is a day of worship for the Christian community.
As per the ECI, election for the 12th Manipur Legislative Assembly which has 60 seats will be held in two phases on February 27 and March 3. Of the 60, 20 are reserved seats for Scheduled Tribes and they are located in the Christian dominated areas.
The MPCC leader also mentioned that Naga People’s Front (NPF) had made a similar request to reschedule the day of the poll.
NPF is a key partner in the BJP-led coalition government in Manipur and it has four MLAs and two of them are Cabinet ministers.
Former Rajya Sabha MP BD Behring has also appealed to the Election Commission of India and Chief Electoral Officer Manipur to review its earlier notification and reschedule the date of poll for the first phase on February 27.
Earlier, All Manipur Christians Organisation (AMCO) in a statement to the media had urged the ECI to reschedule the said date to show solidarity and respect the religious sentiment of the Christians.
‘AMCO is apprehensive that a large number of voters may refrain from exercising their franchise as the polling day falls on Sunday thus, purposely robbing the people their right to universal franchise,’ the statement said.
Soon after the announcement of the election schedule for the state, the All Tribal Students' Union Manipur (ATSUM) had said that the decision to vote on Sunday in some hill districts of the state ‘is a matter of grave concern for the tribal people and Christian community of the state’.
According to ATSUM, there may be low voter turnout in some hill districts owing to the polling date as it falls on Sunday. ‘Afterall, the tribal’s, who constitute about 43% of the state population, are predominantly Christian, and for them Sunday is a day that is holy and sacred’, it said.
ATSUM added that ‘Election Commission lacks the susceptibility and the ability to appreciate the spiritual values, beliefs and practices of the Christian community of the state and such apathy towards the religious sentiment of the Christian community is in fact antagonistic’.
Therefore, it urged the Election Commission to reschedule the date of polling of the hill assembly constituencies to any other convenient date, which does not fall on Sunday.