IMPHAL, April 15: Unlike cadres of outfits under the Suspension of Operation with the governments who were provided with postal ballots in a first of its kind exercise in the country during the April 9 Outer Manipur Parliamentary Constituency election, cadres of valley based outfits under Memorandum of Understanding and Tripartite talks will have no such opportunity.
The Election Commission of India has refused to provide posting ballot papers for the cadres of Memorandum of Understanding signatories and other militant outfits in tripartite talks with the government. However, since the government cannot deny the cadres their right to vote, special arrangements will be in place for the 587 cadres, said Manipur chief electoral officer, Oinam Nabakishore today.
There are altogether 584 cadres of seven different valley based UG groups that are either under the MoU or Tripartite talk with the governments namely United Revolutionary Front (URF), KYKL-MDF, KCP-Lamphel, UPPK, UTLA, KCP-Nongdrenkhomba and KCP (MC) Lalumba are now under MoU signed or tripartite talk with government.
The main reason behind the ECI’s refusal to entertain the provision is due to the delayed processing of documentation for the cadres by the police department, he said and added he received the documents on April 3 which in turn he processed to the ECI for the provision of postal ballots.
He said he received the ECI’s reply declining the recommendation on April 11, 2014.
Addressing media persons at his New Secretariat office, Nabakishore said that to enable the cadres exercise their franchise, he has already sent a written letter to the state DGP to provide special arrangement with security measures for transportation of the cadres, who are listed in the electoral roll, to their respective polling stations with due discussion with interlocutor Home secretary Shambhu Singh.
The DGP has also provided his verbal assurance to provide the needed security measures, he said.