Manipur election 2027: ECI team reviewed poll and security plans

A 12-member team of the Election Commission of India (ECI) visited Manipur last week to review preparations for next year's Assembly elections and assess the security situation, Hindustan Times reported on Thursday, October 29, citing officials.

The team was in the state from October 21 to 23. It included senior deputy election commissioner Maneesh Garg, who flew in from Delhi for closed-door meetings, interactions with nodal officers and a review of security arrangements.

Manipur is due to vote early next year, along with Punjab, Uttar Pradesh, Goa and Uttarakhand.

Who the team met

ECI officials met the chief secretary, the police chief, district police chiefs and other officers. According to an officer quoted by the newspaper, the state police nodal officer made a presentation, followed by a meeting of all district election officers and superintendents of police. Each district SP presented the hotspots in their area and the resources needed to hold polls.

The officer said training nodal officers and handling voting machines is routine, but that Manipur is different because of the heavy security requirement. District police chiefs spoke of needing more forces, and existing forces would have to be deployed in a safe pattern, the officer added.

The officer described the visit as the start of the poll process.

Security backdrop

The visit came during renewed tension. Valley districts were under a shutdown during the same period following the killings of four Meitei men in two separate incidents.

Holding elections is a major challenge in a state where ethnic conflict has divided communities and created separate areas for different groups. The report said at least 10 districts have been affected by the violence, and the Centre has deployed a large number of security personnel across the state, including in buffer areas between districts.

Other details

The name of ECI director general (IT) Seema Khanna was also on the list shared with the state government, but she cancelled her visit at the last minute, officials told the newspaper.

The ECI has not yet announced the schedule for the Manipur Assembly elections.