Post poll scenario in Manipur : Eyes on May 23
- The Sangai Express Editorial :: April 22 2019 -

For Manipur the Lok Sabha election is over, barring repoll which may be held for some Polling Stations.

However attention of the people will continue to be drawn to the just concluded Parliamentary elections until the results are announced on May 23 and a new Government is formed.

This is where the interests of the people will lie and the important question is whether the people did vote for the candidates who can put across the interests of the people on the floor of the Lok Sabha effectively or will be reduced to just spectators, as has been the case with representatives of the State for the past so many years.

And it is also interesting to question whether the MP to be elected from the Outer Parliamentary Constituency will talk on behalf of Manipur or will stick to the interests of the community to which he belongs.

If the past is any indication then it may well be the latter case and this is where the divide between the hills and the valley of Manipur can be expected to be demonstrated effectively on the floor of the Lok Sabha. Only two MPs but why did the Lok Sabha election trigger so much interest amongst the people of Manipur ?

For one which party comes to power at the Centre can have a profound impact on the State in the face of so many issues, such as the ongoing political dialogue between New Delhi and the NSCN (IM), the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, Law on Asylum, the demand for a mechanism to check the inflow of non-locals into the soil of Manipur etc.

Closer home there is also the demand raised by certain sections of the people that the Meiteis be included in the ST list of the Constitution of India and the opposition to it from the tribals of Manipur, though this issue is yet to reach New Delhi.

Whichever party comes to power at New Delhi can have a profound impact on the issues just mentioned earlier and this is one reason why the attention of the people will continue to be focused on the just concluded Lok Sabha elections here in Manipur.

Now that the State has voted, expect the interested people to follow the voting in other parts of the country, particularly in neighbouring Assam.

So while many issues have to be addressed to, the important question is whether the candidates, regardless of which party they belong to will have a voice effective enough to put across the aspirations of the people on the floor of the Lok Sabha or not.

This is the reason why a number of concerned citizens had taken to various platforms, particularly the social media to articulate their thoughts, even spelling out the reasons why people need to vote for so and so candidate.

And as has been the case in Manipur, whichever party comes to power at New Delhi will have a profound impact on the Government at Imphal and this is one reason why The Sangai Express had always maintained that the pressure on the party heading the Government here can be understood.

The vote has been cast and is the wont, allegations and counter allegations have started to fly and while this is a reflection of how seriously the political parties have taken the just concluded election, it is also a grim reminder that there may be rooms which can be exploited by the different political parties and this is a cause for concern.