ITLF advises Kuki Zomi community against contesting Lok Sabha elections in Manipur amid ethnic tensions

The Indigenous Tribal Leaders Forum (ITLF) presidential council issued an advisory and instructed that no Kuki Zomi community should file their nomination for the upcoming Lok Sabha election considering the plight and difficulty they are facing.

The organisation however stated that, “Indian citizens, we advise our community members to exercise their right to franchise by voting in the upcoming Lok Sabha Election 2024 but abstain from contesting for the outer Manipur Member of Parliament seat.”

Manipur has two parliamentary seats. Elections would be held in the Inner Manipur Lok Sabha seat on the first phase of the 7-phase parliamentary elections on April 19 while the polling would take place in the Outer Manipur constituency in two phases on April 19 and April 26.


The outer Manipur seat is tribal dominated while the Inner seat is covering the valley areas of the state. BJP has decided to support ally Naga Peoples Front (NPF) candidate for Outer Manipur Lok Sabha seat. The Naga People's Front (NPF) Central Working Committee (WC) has approved the name of Kachui Timothy Zimik as NPF official candidate for Outer Manipur Parliamentary Constituency.

For the inner Manipur seat BJP has fielded Education minister Thounaojam Basanta Kumar Singh. The Congress-led 10-party alliance in Manipur has fielded Delhi’s Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) Professor Angomcha Bimol Akoijam for the Inner Manipur Lok Sabha Constituency while former MLA Alfred K Arthur will contest in the Outer Manipur seat, reserved for the tribals.

At least 220 people have been killed, 1,500 injured and 60,000 displaced after the ethnic violence between the Meitei and Kuki-Zomi community broke out on May 3 last year.

The riots began after a ‘Tribal Solidarity March’ was organised in the hill districts to protest against the Meitei community’s demand for Scheduled Tribe status.