As Manipur heads into the first phase of the Lok Sabha election in the shadow of an ethnic conflict, the two communities involved in the conflict — the Kuki-Zo people and the Meitei people — find themselves in a peculiar situation.
In the first phase on April 19, most of the violence-affected parts of the State go to the polls. These include all of the Inner Manipur constituency, which covers Imphal East, Imphal West, Bishnupur, and Thoubal districts having a largely Meitei population, and large parts of the Outer Manipur constituency (ST) covering Churachandpur, Kangpokpi and Chandel with a majority Kuki-Zo population.
Angomcha Bimol Akoijam, the Congress candidate from Inner Manipur, talks to Abhinay Lakshman on his main poll planks for the State.
Read more: Ethnic conflict casts a shadow on Manipur polls; Kuki-Zo, Meitei people devise voting strategies
Reporting: Abhinay Lakshman
Video: Ritu Raj Konwar
Production: Shikha Kumari
