Manipur begins poll preparations, appoints 11 nodal officers for 2027 elections

Guwahati: Setting the election process in motion, the Office of the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO), Manipur, has ordered the appointment of nodal officers to oversee various activities for the smooth conduct of the 2027 Manipur Legislative Assembly elections.

As many as 11 nodal officers have been appointed to oversee various election-related activities and ensure the smooth conduct of the elections.

A senior official said that the appointments were made following advice from the Election Commission of India (ECI) in September, according to a notification issued by the CEO's office.


Senior IPS officer Kamei Angam Romanus has been appointed as the nodal officer in charge of law and order and security planning, while IAS officer Hungyo Worshang will oversee excise-related matters.

Konsam Binku has been assigned responsibility for monitoring election expenditure, while Khumanthem Diana Devi will serve as the nodal officer for transport management, the order stated.

Other nodal officers have been appointed to oversee areas such as computerisation, cybersecurity, communication planning and observer-related matters. Three additional nodal officers have also been appointed for other categories of election-related work.

The Manipur Assembly elections are likely to be held in February-March 2027. The appointments follow a review visit to Imphal last week by senior officials of the Election Commission of India to assess election preparedness across all 16 districts of the state.

During the review, District Election Officers and Superintendents of Police from all 16 districts made presentations on poll preparedness.

The visit also included a workshop on the First Level Checking (FLC) of Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) and Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT) units.

Engineers from the Electronics Corporation of India Limited (ECIL) demonstrated the procedures involved in checking the machines, along with the administrative and technical safeguards designed to ensure their readiness, reliability and integrity ahead of the elections.

The term of the 60-member Manipur Legislative Assembly is due to expire on March 13, 2027.

The last elections to the 60-member Manipur Legislative Assembly were held in two phases, on February 28 and March 5, 2022. Manipur has been battling an ethnic crisis since May 3, 2023.

More than 50 people have been killed in ethnic clashes between the two tribal communities in the state since early this year.

At least 306 people have been killed, and 49 remain missing in the ethnic violence that has gripped Manipur since May 2023, Home Minister Govindas Konthoujam told the state assembly on September 3, 2026.

More than 60,000 people have been displaced since ethnic violence broke out between the Meitei and Kuki-Zo communities on May 3, 2023. The violence erupted after a ‘Tribal Solidarity March’ was organised in the hill districts to protest the Meitei community’s demand for Scheduled Tribe status.