The Centre’s decision to defer the house-listing phase of the 2027 Census in Manipur has been welcomed by the BJP as the fulfilment of a key public demand. However, the state continues to face deep ethnic tensions and political differences.
BJP North-East in-charge Sambit Patra, who was in Imphal on September 2 for a high-level party meeting, said the decision met the “first demand” raised by people in the state. He also indicated that an updated National Register of Citizens (NRC) would follow in due course.
Patra thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah for addressing concerns raised by Meitei, Naga and other groups. He referred to a high-level meeting in New Delhi chaired by Shah and attended by Chief Minister Yumnam Khemchand Singh and Governor Ajay Kumar Bhalla.
“The first demand was that the census should be deferred and that has been met,” Patra said. He added that the NRC process would be taken up separately by the Union Home Ministry.
Patra credited MLAs, civil society organisations and sustained public pressure for the decision.
Chief Minister Khemchand Singh also backed the decision in the Manipur Assembly on September 2. He said the demand for deferment dated back to Assembly resolutions first passed in August 2022 under the previous government. The demand was reiterated in 2023 and 2024.
He also referred to a state Home Department seminar held in August 2025, which recommended conducting the NRC before the Census.
“The Census was deferred in accordance with the wishes of the people,” Singh told the House. He noted that both he and the Governor had attended the meeting chaired by Shah where the decision was finalised.
The Chief Minister’s Secretariat announced the deferment on August 31, a day before the scheduled start of house-listing.
The decision came amid intensified protests by Meitei and Naga civil society groups in August. The groups raised concerns over demographic changes linked to alleged illegal migration, primarily from Myanmar.
They also argued that conducting the Census without prior citizenship verification could affect future delimitation.
Fourteen civil society organisations demanded an NRC using 1951 as the base year.
The Manipur High Court recorded undertakings from the Centre and the state that the exercise would remain in abeyance pending further orders. The next hearing is listed for October 12.
Kuki-Zo organisations have opposed the move to conduct an NRC before the Census. They have questioned the 1951 cut-off and argued that it could unfairly exclude hill communities.
Some Kuki groups criticised the deferment, saying it ignored their concerns. Some even called for a return to President’s Rule.
The Meitei-Kuki violence that began in May 2023 has already claimed over 260 lives and displaced tens of thousands.
A newer Kuki-Naga fault line has also emerged since February 2026 in districts such as Ukhrul, Kangpokpi and Senapati. It has included abductions, killings and blockades.
Opposition voices have taken a more critical position.
Congress Legislature Party leader Keisham Meghachandra Singh described Manipur as an “active volcano”. He said competing political and community alignments had weakened the government’s credibility as a neutral authority.
He called for a state that stands above armed groups and community interests. He also demanded equal justice, no political protection for violence and accountability irrespective of identity.
Separately, the Sadar Hills District Congress Committee accused the BJP-led government of failing to contain the conflict. It also alleged that the government had aggravated Kuki-Naga tensions through internal blame games among senior leaders.
The committee demanded impartial action, inclusive dialogue and protection for all communities in the hill districts.
