New Delhi: Even as the counting of votes is underway, the Congress party is leading in both seats of Manipur. In Inner Manipur, Indian National Congress (INC) candidate Bimol Akoijam was leading against the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) candidate T Basanta Kumar Singh by 78,947 votes, as per the latest data on the Election Commission of India (ECI) website.
Congress’ Alfred Kanngum Arthur was leading by 52,846 votes against the NPF’s Kachui Tomothy Zimik in the Outer Manipur seat.
In 2019, the BJP won the Inner Manipur seat while the Naga People’s Front (NPF) had bagged Outer Manipur.
Akoijam is a JNU professor. Kanngum Arthur is a former MLA from Manipur’s Ukhrul constituency. BJP candidate Singh was the state education minister and a former police officer, while Zimik is a retired Internal Revenue Service officer.
Polling was marred by incidents of violence in Manipur, which continues to divided on ethnic lines, ever since clashes broke out between the Meitei and Kuki communities on May 3 last year.
With over 50,000 displaced from their homes and at least 225 dead, the campaign was also muted.
There were no large rallies, road shows, or even public meetings on the roads of Imphal. Party flags were seen only at the offices and residences of candidates. Most election meetings were held behind closed doors. There were no star campaigners and feasts in the evenings for party workers, a standard feature of election campaigns across, after an advisory by the Meitei radical group Arambai Tenggol directed political parties to keep election campaigning low-key this year.
{{/usCountry}}There were no large rallies, road shows, or even public meetings on the roads of Imphal. Party flags were seen only at the offices and residences of candidates. Most election meetings were held behind closed doors. There were no star campaigners and feasts in the evenings for party workers, a standard feature of election campaigns across, after an advisory by the Meitei radical group Arambai Tenggol directed political parties to keep election campaigning low-key this year.
{{/usCountry}}Meiteis who lived in hilly districts have returned to community-dominant valley districts such as Imphal and Bishnupur while Kukis settled in Imphal have shifted to hilly areas.
Security forces guard the boundaries between the hilly and valley districts to ensure people from one side do not enter the other’s territory and attack each other.
The tribal MLAs and Kuki residents have demanded a separate administration for the tribal people. Chief minister Biren Singh and Meitei residents are against any division within the state.