21,815 postal ballots for Inner Manipur LS seat shifted to a suitable location, says ECI

Imphal: The Postal ballot papers of the contesting candidates of the Inner Manipur Parliamentary Constituency (IMPC), stored in Room No. F-21 and F-13, 1st Floor, Deputy Commissioners (DC) Office building have been shifted to Room No. G-1, FLC Room, Newly Constructed EVM Warehouse, District Commissioner Office, Lamphelpat, Imphal, on Friday.

The Chief Electoral Officer (CEO), Manipur, Pradeep Kumar Jha; Returning Officer, IMPC, Th. Kirankumar; Superintendent of Police —Imphal West, Ksh Shivakanta (IPS); along with Assistant Returning Officers (AROs), inspected the Newly Constructed EVM Warehouse and various other sites of the DC Office, Lamphelpat, for a smooth transition of the shifting process.

The shifting procedure is for the sole purpose of construction/preparation of counting halls for counting of votes which is scheduled to be held on June 4, 2024.

Furthermore, two representatives duly authorized in writing and the Election Agents of the respective National/State Political Parties witnessed the shifting of the Postal Ballots.

For the first time in Lok Sabha elections, the voting was conducted through postal ballot paper for Absentee Voters, people above 85 years of age, and those with more than 40 per cent disability residing in Manipur were able to cast their votes from home.

Manipur has 21,815 service electors and Postal Ballots and all were sent electronically through the Electronically Transmitted Postal Ballot System (ETPBS) by respective Returning officers, officials said.

There are  9,89,887 voters for the Inner seat which went to the poll on April 19, 2024, to which six candidates — INC, BJP, RPI (A), and three independents were in the fray.