Outer Manipur votes amid tight security after booth capturing in first phase

Imphal: Polling for the remaining part of the Outer Manipur parliamentary seat commenced on Friday morning, amid stringent security measures, an official said.

Voting is underway in 857 polling stations, spanning 13 assembly segments in eight districts, Chief Electoral Officer PK Jha said.

During the first phase of elections, parts of the Outer Manipur seat, covering 15 assembly segments, and 32 assembly segments of the Inner Manipur, went to polls on April 19.

Four candidates are contesting in this phase - Naga People's Front candidate K Timothy Zimik, Congress' Alfred Kanngam Arthur, and independents S Kho John and Alyson Abonmai. The BJP has not fielded any candidate and is backing its ally, the NPF.

Over 4.84 lakh voters, including 8,02,577 women and 246 transgender electors, are likely to cast their votes in this phase.

Security measures have been significantly enhanced across all 13 assembly segments, with approximately 87 companies of central paramilitary forces and 4,000 state forces personnel deployed to ensure free and fair elections.

In the 2019 elections, the NPF emerged victorious, defeating the BJP by a margin of 73,782 votes.