Manipur Assembly renews push for NRC before Census, urges Centre to act

The Manipur Assembly has renewed its demand for an NRC update before the Census, days after the Centre deferred the Census exercise in the state

PGurus Newsdesk

September 3, 2026

NRC BEFORE CENSUS: MANIPUR PUTS CENTRE ON NOTICE

The House unanimously passed the resolution moved by the Chief Minister

The Manipur Legislative Assembly has once again put the National Register of Citizens (NRC) at the centre of the state’s political debate, unanimously passing a resolution urging the Centre to update the NRC before conducting the Census.

Chief Minister Yumnam Khemchand Singh moved the resolution on Wednesday during the opening day of the Assembly’s eighth session. The House reaffirmed resolutions passed earlier in August 2022 and March 2024, renewing its demand for an NRC exercise in Manipur before the population count.

Assembly wants NRC first, Census later

The resolution argues that updating the NRC before the Census is necessary in the interest of Manipur as well as the country. The demand comes amid longstanding concerns in the state over cross-border migration and demographic changes.

The issue has gained fresh urgency after the Centre deferred Census operations in Manipur, which were scheduled to begin with house-listing on September 1. The decision followed growing demands from civil society organisations for the NRC to be addressed before the Census.

NRC debate tied to demographic concerns

Several civil society groups in Manipur have argued that conducting the Census amid continuing displacement and demographic uncertainty could affect the accuracy of population data. A coalition of 14 organisations had earlier urged the Centre to use 1951 as the base year for updating the NRC and sought safeguards around future delimitation.

The issue has also exposed divisions within the state. While Meitei and Naga groups have backed the demand for an NRC before the Census, sections of the Kuki community have opposed the proposal.

Census delay adds political weight to demand

The Assembly resolution comes just days after the Centre’s decision to defer the Census exercise in Manipur. BJP’s Northeast in-charge Sambit Patra welcomed the postponement, while indicating that the decision on the NRC would be taken at the level of Union Home Minister Amit Shah.

The latest resolution is therefore more than a repeat of an old demand. With the Census already deferred, Manipur’s lawmakers have now formally pressed the Centre again to settle the NRC question before population enumeration resumes.

A wider political backdrop

Wednesday’s Assembly session also carried symbolic significance as two Kuki MLAs attended the House physically for the first time since the ethnic violence began in 2023, signalling a possible opening for political engagement despite continuing differences.

For Manipur, the sequence is now clear: the Census has been put on hold, the Assembly has renewed its NRC demand, and the Centre faces pressure to decide how citizenship verification and population enumeration should proceed in a state still dealing with the consequences of prolonged ethnic conflict.

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