Manipur By-Elections Since 2022: Tadubi and Thanlon Vacancies
No by-election has been held in Manipur since the March 2022 election. Two seats, Tadubi and Thanlon, are vacant after MLAs died. Dates, rolls and status.
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Manipur’s 12th Assembly was elected in February and March 2022, and the sources we reviewed record no by-election to it. Two seats have fallen vacant by death: Tadubi (Senapati district, ST) after N. Kayisii of the NPP died on 18 January 2025, and Thanlon (ST) after Vungzagin Valte of the BJP died on 20 February 2026. This page tracks both seats, what the Election Commission has done about them, and why they matter for the arithmetic of the Assembly’s last months. With the term due to end on 13 March 2027, we have found no poll date announced for either seat.
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Manipur has had no by-election since the 2022 Assembly election. Tadubi has been vacant since 18 January 2025 and Thanlon since 20 February 2026. For Tadubi the Election Commission ordered a Special Summary Revision of the roll in February 2026, with a final roll due on 10 March 2026. The reports we reviewed give no polling date for either seat, and the Assembly’s term ends on 13 March 2027.
What to Know About the Two Vacant Seats
- No by-polls so far: the 12th Manipur Assembly’s roster on Wikipedia and the reports we read record no by-election since March 2022.
- Tadubi (seat 49, ST, Senapati district): vacant since the death of N. Kayisii (NPP) on 18 January 2025. He had beaten the NPF’s M. Francis Ngajokpa by 549 votes in 2022.
- Thanlon (ST): vacant since the death of Vungzagin Valte (BJP) on 20 February 2026. He won in 2022 with 4,863 votes, the smallest winning tally in the state, by a margin of 751.
- Roll work done for Tadubi: the Election Commission announced a Special Summary Revision on 7 February 2026, with a final roll on 10 March 2026.
- Seat arithmetic: with two vacancies the House has 58 sitting members; the majority mark for a full House is 31.
The Two Vacancies
Both seats are Scheduled Tribe reserved constituencies.
| Seat | District / category | Last MLA | Vacant since | 2022 margin |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 49 Tadubi | Senapati area, ST | N. Kayisii (NPP) | 18 Jan 2025 (death) | 549 votes over NPF |
| Thanlon | Churachandpur area, ST | Vungzagin Valte (BJP) | 20 Feb 2026 (death) | 751 votes over NPP |
Wikipedia’s roster for the 12th Assembly lists both seats as vacant and records no by-election, replacement or other seat change apart from the five JD(U) MLAs who moved to the BJP in September 2022. Vote counts and margins above are from IndiaVotes’ 2022 constituency table.
What the Election Commission Has Done on Tadubi
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Special Summary Revision ordered for Tadubi
What happened: The Chief Electoral Officer, Manipur, released the schedule for a Special Summary Revision of the 49-Tadubi roll under Section 21 of the Representation of the People Act, 1950, with 1 January 2026 as the qualifying date. Draft roll on 9 February, claims and objections until 25 February, disposal by 6 March and the final roll on 10 March 2026.
Why it matters: Local reports called the revision a step towards holding the by-election, but gave no poll date.
Preparations begin in Senapati
What happened: NorthEast Now reported that the Commission had initiated preparations for the Tadubi by-poll, with a draft roll of 47,756 electors (24,048 men and 23,708 women) and 81 polling stations, and a consultative meeting with parties at the CEO’s office.
Why it matters: Shows the seat was being readied well before the February 2026 revision, yet no poll followed.
Thanlon: Vacancy After Valte’s Death
Vungzagin Valte died on 20 February 2026, according to Wikipedia’s roster citing a Northeast Live report. A 22 March 2026 opinion piece on the Zodawn Footprints blog noted that a by-election is ordinarily required within six months of a vacancy under the Representation of the People Act, 1951, that the law allows flexibility in special circumstances, and that it had seen no reported Commission decision. We have not found any Commission order on Thanlon.
Why the timing matters
The Assembly’s term is due to expire on 13 March 2027. Where a vacancy occurs close to the end of a term, the law lets the Commission decide whether a by-election is worth holding. We have not seen any Commission statement applying that to Manipur, so we report the vacancies as open.
What Has Changed in the House Since 2022
| Date | Change | Source |
|---|---|---|
| 2 Sep 2022 | Five JD(U) MLAs (Thangmeiband, Wangkhei, Jiribam, Tipaimukh, Churachandpur) switch to the BJP | Wikipedia roster, citing ETV Bharat |
| 6 Aug 2023 | Kuki People’s Alliance withdraws support to the Biren Singh government | Wikipedia, citing The Hindu |
| 18 Jan 2025 | N. Kayisii (NPP, Tadubi) dies | Wikipedia, citing India Today |
| 20 Feb 2026 | Vungzagin Valte (BJP, Thanlon) dies | Wikipedia, citing Northeast Live |
The current strength shown on Wikipedia is BJP 36, NPP 6, NPF 5, JD(U) 1, independents 3, Congress 5 and KPA 2, with two seats vacant.
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Sources
Reporting and data used in this story.
- Wikipedia: 12th Manipur Assembly
- IndiaVotes: Manipur Vidhan Sabha 2022
- NorthEast Now: ECI orders Tadubi electoral roll revision (8 Feb 2026)
- The Sangai Express: EC announces SSR for Tadubi AC (8 Feb 2026)
- NorthEast Now: Tadubi byelection preparations begin in Senapati
- Zodawn Footprints: Thanlon’s Vacancy (22 Mar 2026, opinion)
Update History
- November 8, 2026: first version. Updated whenever a poll date or order is reported.