Manipur Lok Sabha elections 2024: Internally Displaced People decides to skip upcoming polls as they are unaware of the candidates

With just five days left for the polling of 1st Phase of Lok Shabha elections, a large number of the Internally Displaced People of Moreh living in the relief camps of Moreh have decided to skip the forthcoming elections citing that they are unaware of the candidate contesting in the elections.

As per sources, there was neither mega election campaigns organized in the relief camps nor the contesting candidates showed interests in campaigning at the relief camps.

This has been widely criticized by the Internally Displaced People of Moreh saying that as they do not know who are the candidates that can cater to their needs and hear their woes, they have decided not to cast their votes in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections.

It is to be noted that even though the grim memories of the ethnic violence, which left many dead and scores displaced, are still fresh in the minds of voters, 29 special polling stations have been set up for about 5,000 people, who are presently sheltered in camps. All arrangements to enable displaced people to vote have been made in accordance with the guidance received from the central government.

Moreover, the ethnic clashes erupted in the Northeast state in May, last year, after a tribal solidarity march organised to protest against an order of the Manipur High Court, asking the state government to consider including the majority community in the state in the list of Scheduled Tribes, took a violent turn.