IMPHAL, April 8,2024 (TBINN)
“Why should I vote to elect a representative of a place which is no longer mine … elections mean nothing to us,” says a distraught Nobi, who lost her home 11 months ago to ethnic violence in Manipur and is living in a relief camp.
The 42-year-old is not alone as “right to live before right to vote” and “peace before polls” was the common refrain of many who have not been able to return home due to recurrent clashes and lingering hostilities between the warring ethnic groups in the Northeastern state.
The state has traditionally seen a very high voter turnout with more than 82 per cent polling recorded in the 2019 elections. But the ethnic violence has cast a shadow on the polls this time around with several civil society groups and the affected people questioning the relevance of holding elections.
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