BJP is trying to bridge the gap between tribals and others in Manipur
Bharatiya Janata Party eyeing second consecutive term Manipur, In 2017, the party came second with 21 seats in the 60-strong assembly, behind 28 seats won by the Congress. Forming an alliance with the National People’s Party (NPP) and the Naga People’s Front (NPF), which had four MLAs each, one MLA each from the Trinamool Congress, the Lok Janshakti Party, an independent and a Congress defector (who was a minister till his time). ) disqualification after three years), the party managed to cross the halfway mark. Defection continued with the BJP including allies. The BJP now has 30 MLAs while the Congress has 13 – but one MLA has now joined the Janata Dal (United), the BJP’s national ally. The party in power at the Center manages to exert undue influence in Manipur politics, and this trend may continue this time as well. The BJP has no pre-poll alliance, while its main rival Congress has announced alliances with five smaller parties, including the Communist Party of India. Chief Minister Nongthombam Biren Singh himself was once a Congress leader. A challenge for his continuance from within the BJP, if it were to form the government, is a likely scenario. Public Works Minister Thongam Biswajit Singh, an influential party functionary, could also be in contention. In the neighboring state of Assam, the BJP replaced its chief minister after winning a second term last year.
Among the wide geographical divisions in the state, the Imphal Valley, dominated by the Hindu, non-tribal Meitei community, is an edge over the surrounding hills inhabited largely by Christian Naga and Kuki-Zomi communities. The Valley has 40 seats and the hills, 20. The BJP and its ideological partner, the RSS, have exploited the Valley for decades, but the party has a foothold among Christians as well. In the event of a hung assembly, both the NPP and the NPF, fighting alone in their respective bastions, can emerge dominant. The role of the NPF is limited to a part of the Naga-inhabited hills. JDU is also in the fray once again. The Congress hopes that the defection will help it re-emerge with new faces. The BJP wants its focus on infrastructure, rural housing, water supply, electrification and other schemes to help it. The Chief Minister’s “Go to Hills” and “Go to Village” programs tried to bridge the psychological divide between the hills and the valley. The demand for repeal of the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act unites all sections of Manipur society. Demands for Scheduled Tribe status to the Meitei community, enactment of the Manipur (Hill Areas) Autonomous District Council Bill 2021 to provide greater autonomy to tribal councils, and a Hill Area Committee comprising all 20 MLAs from the hills of Manipur will also be discussed in the campaign. Doing point.
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