Social activist Shanjoy Ahanthem has urged the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO), Manipur, to place in the public domain the complete electoral history of BJP MLA from Saikot Assembly Constituency, Paolienlal Haokip, following reports circulating on social media questioning the legislator’s voter registration history.
In a statement, Shanjoy Ahanthem said that if reports claiming Paolienlal Haokip, who was born in 1974, and his family were not included in the electoral rolls of Manipur or Saikot Assembly Constituency until 2021 are factually correct, it raises important questions regarding where they had been enrolled as voters during the previous 46 to 47 years and on what basis the MLA became eligible to contest the Assembly election from Saikot.
He appealed to the CEO, Manipur, to disclose official records indicating where and when Paolienlal Haokip was first registered as a voter and the circumstances under which his name came to be included in the electoral roll of Saikot Assembly Constituency.
Shanjoy observed that the issue was not about an ordinary elector but an elected public representative, and maintained that any irregularity in the voter registration of a sitting MLA, if established, would have serious implications for the credibility of the electoral process.
He also drew attention to the substantial increase in the number of voters in several hill Assembly constituencies, particularly in Churachandpur, Chandel, Tengnoupal, Pherzawl and Kangpokpi districts. According to him, the increase warrants a detailed examination, especially in the context of the reported rise in the number of newly recognised villages reflected in government records.
Referring to concerns over the draft electoral rolls prepared under the Special Intensive Revision (SIR), Shanjoy reiterated the demand raised by several civil society organisations for the implementation of the National Register of Citizens (NRC) in Manipur to identify illegal immigrants before undertaking a fresh population census. He further urged the State Government to constitute an expert committee to investigate alleged discrepancies in the electoral rolls, warning that failure to address the issue could have long-term demographic consequences for the indigenous population.