Kuki militants to cast vote by postal ballots

Kuki militants to cast vote by postal ballots

1. The Election Commission (EC) has notified that the cadres of Kuki militant groups who signed Suspension of Operations (SoO) agreement with both the Centre and the Manipur government will cast their votes in postal ballots.
2. The Suspension of Operation (SoO) agreement is a pact to ensure peace in the Kuki dominated areas in Manipur. It was first signed by the Manipur state and the Centre with two militant groups of the Kuki community in 2008. Since then, agreement is being renewed periodically.
3. Kuki militants are members of two major separatist outfits viz. the Kuki National Organisation (KNO) and the United People’s Front (UPF).  The groups had demanded a separate Kuki state out of Manipur.
4. Kuki is a hill tribe. The tribe is spread across other north eastern states of India mainly in Manipur, Nagaland, Mizoram and Assam, north western Myanmar and Chittagong hill tracts of Bangladesh.