Manipur polls: Campaigning for second phase ends, voting on March 5

As many as 92 candidates, including two women, are in the fray for the second phase to be held across 22 constituencies.

Security personnel on guard, as the people wait in a queue to cast their votes for the first phase of Manipur Assembly elections. (PTI)

With the silent period coming into effect from 4 pm on Thursday, the Election Commission has imposed a ban on all kinds of political campaigns for the second phase of the state assembly polls slated to be held on March 5.

The EC has also issued restrictions on the presence of political functionaries from outside the constituency.

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As many as 92 candidates, including two women, are in the fray for the second phase to be held across 22 constituencies. The two women candidates are CPI’s Y Romita from Kakching constituency and SS Olish of BJP from Chandel constituency.

As many as 8,47,400 electors — 4,18,401 males, 4,28,968 females, and 31 transgender people — are expected to exercise their franchise.

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A total of 3,24,561 voters were recorded in Thoubal district; 29,426 in Jiribam; 95,293 in Chandel; 1,30,545 in Ukhrul; 1,60,061 in Senapati, and 1,07,515 in Tamenglong.

Of the total candidates, 22 are of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), 18 of INC, 10 each of Janata Dal-United (JD-U) and Naga People’s Front (NPF), 11 of National People’s Party (NPP), two each of Shiv Sena and Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), three of Republican Party of India-Athawale (RPI-A), one each of Rashtriya Janhit Sangharsh Party (RJSP) and CPI, and 12 independent candidates.

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However, the Lok Janshakti Party-Ram Vilas (LJP-R), the newly formed Kuki People’s Alliance (KPA), and the Kuki National Assembly (KNA) did not field any of their candidates in the second phase.

Voting will be conducted in a total of 1,247 polling stations, including six auxiliary polling stations, across the six electoral districts. Of the six auxiliary polling stations, four are in Thoubal and another two in Churachandpur.

Thoubal, which has the highest number of constituencies (10 ACs), will have 395 polling stations; Jribam, which has only one AC, will have 40 polling stations; Chandel, with two ACs, will have 154 polling stations; Ukhrul, Senapati, and Tamenglong, which have three ACs each, will have 219, 228 and 211 polling stations, respectively.