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Strife-torn Manipur slips away from BJP, Cong bags both seats
The opposition Indian National Congress won both parliamentary seats in the restive northeastern state of Manipur, defeating the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and its ally, the Naga People’s Front (NPF), amid ongoing ethnic violence
The opposition Indian National Congress won both parliamentary seats in the restive northeastern state of Manipur, defeating the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and its ally, the Naga People’s Front (NPF), amid ongoing ethnic violence.
In the Inner Manipur constituency, Congress candidate Angomcha Bimol Akoijam, a professor at Jawaharlal Nehru University, defeated BJP’s T Basanta Kumar Singh, the state education minister, by 109,801votes.
Congress’s Alfred Kanngam Arthur, a former state legislator, won the Outer Manipur seat, reserved for tribal communities, beating NPF’s Kachui Timothy Zimik, a retired revenue officer, by 85,418votes.
The BJP had won the Inner Manipur seat in 2019, while the NPF secured Outer Manipur. This time, the BJP fielded its own candidate in Inner Manipur and backed the NPF in Outer Manipur.
“Manipur has been witnessing ethnic violence for over a year now and people are suffering. But the BJP governments in the state and Centre failed to do anything to resolve it,” said K Meghachandra Singh, president of the Manipur Congress. “The verdict in favour of Congress in both the seats indicate the frustration of voters all over the state.”
Singh blamed Prime Minister Narendra Modi for not visiting the state in the past year and said Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s decision to start his “Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra” from the state capital Imphal contributed to the party’s victory.
Chidananda Singh, vice president of Manipur BJP, said the party would introspect on the defeat. “Manipur has been going through a crisis for over a year now and we had to contest the election under lot of difficulties,” he said, adding that the results did not reflect on the state government’s performance.
Ethnic clashes between the majority Meitei community and tribal Kuki-Zo groups have killed over 220 people and displaced more than 50,000 since May 2023. Security forces guard boundaries between hill and valley districts to prevent violence.
With over 50,000 displaced from their homes, and at least 225 dead, the campaign by all parties was muted. Party flags were seen only at the offices and residences of candidates. Most election meetings were held behind closed doors.
This was because of an advisory by the Meitei radical group Arambai Tenggol directing political parties to keep election campaigning low key this year.
In the run up to the poll day, militants had also fired gunshots and disrupted the election meetings of Akoijam and Kanggam after which the two candidates were provided security.
Repolling was ordered in at least 17 polling stations due to violence on election day.
The BJP’s campaign in Inner Manipur focused on national issues such as border fencing, removal of free movement with Myanmar, implementation of an inner line permit system and citizenship registration.
