The row over voter list revision in Bihar - a process started just months before the election in that state and which is being heard by the Supreme Court - could see a spin-off in Manipur.
Sources in the Manipur Chief Election Officer's office told NDTV Wednesday that "groundwork" for a similar exercise, i.e., a 'special intensive revision' of the state voter list, there has begun.
Manipur will vote next in 2027.
Voter list revisions in Bihar and (likely) Manipur accord with what a second set of sources told NDTV earlier this month - that the Election Commission of India is considering state-by-state voter re-verification exercises. A decision on this is expected after the Supreme Court hearing.
Opposition parties and pro-democracy activists raised red flags over the Bihar exercise, arguing it is 'designed' to exclude individuals from minorities and marginalised communities who vote for them.
NDTV Explains | Row Over 'Special Intensive Revision' Of Bihar Voter List
Those protesting the Bihar SIR also questioned the legality of the exercise and the decision to not accept some government IDs, including the EC's own card.
READ | "Will Step In If...": Top Court On Mass Exclusion In Bihar Rolls Revision
The EC has been told to include Aadhaar, its own ID card, and the ration card in a list of accepted documents for voter registration or re-verification.
READ | "Include Aadhaar, Voter ID": Top Court To Poll Body On Bihar Voter List
A voter list revision in Manipur will likely face similar challenges.
There is also the added complexity of President's Rule.
The state has been under President's Rule since February. This was after N Biren Singh resigned as Chief Minister in the wake of violent ethnic clashes that have rumbled on since May 2023.
Earlier this week Union Home Minister Amit Shah moved a statutory resolution in Parliament to extend President's Rule till February 2026, a year before the Manipur Assembly election.
The current Legislative Assembly has been suspended but not dissolved, and this distinction is key. Sources told NDTV that if the Assembly is not re-instated within six months of President's Rule being extended - i.e., before the end of this year - Manipur might see an early election. And this will slash time available to complete a voter list revision, triggering protests like in Bihar.
This, sources said, is why state poll officials are prepping to update the voter list now.
Recognised political parties in the state have been told the qualifying date for verification or re-verification is January 1, 2026. House-to-house verification will be undertaken, sources said.
The Election Commission is expected to formally notify a Manipur SIR after that, sources said.
Demands for a NRC exercise in Manipur will add further controversy to the voter list revision exercise, particularly since one of the key questions being debated in the Supreme Court (re: the Bihar exercise) is the EC's authority to establish voter identity vs citizenship.
READ | Phase 1 Of Bihar Poll Roll Revision Over, 65.2 Lakh Voters At Risk
Those demanding a NRC in Manipur have alleged illegal immigrants from neighbouring Myanmar and Bangladesh already figure in lists of voters and need to excluded.
The EC, during the Bihar exercise, said it had identified people from Nepal and also Myanmar and Bangladesh, on electoral rolls in the eastern state.
Meanwhile, in Tripura the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party's ally, the Tipra Motha Party, met the Election Commission to ask for a SIR in that state too.
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