The central authorities have decided to leave Manipur out of the upcoming national population count planned for 2027. This step follows repeated requests from local groups that an updated National Register of Citizens should be finished first. A formal notice from the Ministry of Home Affairs appeared in the official gazette on October 30. It lists several areas where the count will not take place at the usual time, including Manipur along with Goa, Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Uttarakhand, Ladakh and certain high altitude zones in Himachal Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir.
The notice was issued under the Census Act of 1948 and related rules. It states that the exclusion for Manipur will stay in place until the government issues a new order. In the regions that remain on the schedule, door to door visits will run from January 25 to February 28 2027. A short review round will follow from March 1 to March 5. People will also be able to fill forms online between January 10 and January 24. The official reference point for the whole exercise is set at midnight on March 1 2027.
Local organisations in Manipur have been pressing for the register of citizens to be completed before any head count begins. They use the phrase No NRC No Census to sum up their position. Some groups have widened the demand to include boundary changes for constituencies, using the slogan No NRC No Delimitation. Their main worry is that migrants who lack proper papers could be counted as residents if the population survey happens first. Such an outcome, they say, would change the recorded makeup of the state and affect future decisions on seats and funding.
Representatives from Meitei and Naga groups met central officials in New Delhi on August 24. They handed over written requests that citizenship checks must come before the count or any redrawing of electoral lines. On August 20 another set of five bodies sent a letter to the prime minister through the state governor. They pointed to ongoing security limits and the large number of people still living in relief camps after the clashes that started in May 2023. They argued that accurate numbers would be hard to obtain while so many residents remain displaced.
Former chief minister Nongthombam Biren Singh thanked the prime minister and the home minister for showing concern for the local population. A community body representing Meitei Pangal residents described the exclusion as an important step but warned that it is not a final cancellation. The group repeated its view that the register must be ready before any count takes place. It stressed that decisions about the state should reflect fairness and public trust.
Not all voices agree with this sequence. The Kuki Zo Council has called the demand for an early register premature. It believes the population survey should happen first. These different views show that communities continue to hold contrasting opinions on how to handle records of residency and political boundaries.
The state assembly has already passed resolutions asking for the register to be updated, one in August 2022 and another in March 2024. Many groups want 1951 to serve as the base year for verification. The latest gazette notice confirms that Manipur will not be part of the current timetable, yet it leaves open the question of when the count will eventually occur and whether the register will be finished beforehand. Any further move will require another official announcement from the central government.
