Outer Districts of Manipur vote today: Today is the second and last phase of the assembly elections in Manipur.
There are 92 candidates in 22 seats across 10 districts in the second phase.
This time, we’re looking at the Thoubal district and the Naga-dominated hills, where the BJP has a hard time.
There have been bandhs and blockades in the districts on the outer edges of the state for a long time.
READ MORE: On Saturday, Manipur will hold its second round of voting.
They have been strongholds of the NPF and Congress.
Avoiding any violence will be the top goal for the Election Commission.
This time, elections in Manipur are a multi-corner fight, with a more assertive BJP going it alone and running for all the seats even against its current partners in the government, who are also running for office.
Former three-term chief minister Okram Ibobi Singh and former deputy chief minister Gaikhangam Gangmei, both from the Congress, are the most well-known candidates in the second round.
People will vote from 7 am until 4 pm under very tight security, with around 20,000 paramilitary troops and nearly 5,000 polling workers.
Rajesh Agarwal, the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO), said that all 1,247 polling places had been set up to follow COVID-19 safety rules.
There are 8.38 million people registered to vote in this phase in the districts of Thoubal, Chandel, Ukhrul, Senapati, Tamenglong, and Jiribam, the officer said.
A total of 22 candidates are running for the BJP. The Congress has 18 candidates, the National People’s Party has 11, the Janata Dal (United) has 11, the Naga People’s Front has 10, and the National People’s Party has 11. (10 each).
Mr Agarwal said that women would only run 223 polling places.
All polling places have made arrangements for webcasting or videotaping while enough central forces are in place.
Voting in the other 38 constituencies in six districts occurred on February 28.
There were a few incidents of violence, and 12 voting stations in three districts had to be re-polled.
EVMs or Electronic Voting Machines that were damaged in attacks will also be re-polled on Saturday, the CEO said.
Between 3 and 4 pm, “Voters who have Covid or are in quarantine will be able to vote,” he said.
Mobile phones are not allowed except for people who work near polling places.
Voters in the Heirok constituency of the Thoubal district who are nearing 18 years old will have to show two separate documents to prove their date of birth at the polling station after a High Court order.
Separate check-in counters will be set up at every polling station in that constituency so that other voters don’t have to deal with any extra work.
