Congress versus BJP in 2 ACs : Run up to November 21
- The Sangai Express Editorial :: November 06 2015 -

More than obvious that it is more than just a by election to two Assembly Constituencies.

Technically it is not the semi-final of the 2017 Assembly election, but judging by the manner in which the Congress and the BJP have been campaigning for the November 21 by election, it is obvious that many see the by elections to Thangmeiband Assembly Constituency and Thongju Assembly Constituency as something more than an exercise in filling up two vacant seats in the Assembly.

With the BJP coming to power at Delhi after its stupendous showing in the last Lok Sabha polls in 2014 followed by the Assembly elections in some States, the State unit of the BJP is obviously invigorated.

This is all that more so given the fact that election to the State Assembly is scheduled to be held sometime in 2017.

With no other party able to field candidates, with the exception of Manipur Democratic People’s Front and an Independent in Thongju AC, for the November 21 by polls, it is going to be a fight between the BJP and the Congress.

The BJP may be in power at Delhi and in some other States, but here it has been the Congress all the way, especially after the last Assembly election in 2012 when it won 42 seats in the 60 member Assembly.

Also significant to note that the BJP drew blank in the last Assembly election. A party with not a single MLA but which is riding a wave across the country and a party with 47 MLAs (following the merger of five MSCP MLAs) and with the 2017 Assembly election less than 2 years from now and clearly the by election is going to be interesting.

Tough to say which way the wind will blow, but the two parties seem to be putting their best foot forward.

Chief Minister O Ibobi and Deputy Chief Minister Gaikhangam have been leading the campaign for the Congress candidates in the two Assembly Constituencies while the BJP too have not been lagging behind.

At the moment the BJP may not have State political heavy weights like the Congress, but there is every likelihood of some of the Central leaders coming here to campaign for their candidates.

This is what will make the by elections more interesting. BJP versus Congress and this should say something about the other political parties.

A clear indication that the presence of the other political parties has been eroded greatly and this is where some sort of an internal assessment is needed.

The Manipur People’s Party is today just a pale shadow of its former self and it is difficult to believe that it was at one point of time the principal political party against the Congress. The MSCP is now more or less defunct.

The Communist parties are nowhere in the two Assembly Constituencies and it has even faded from its traditional strongholds such as Lamlai AC and Kumbi AC.

The rise of the BJP and the decline of the other political parties, save for the Congress. This is what can be surmised in the run up to the by elections at Thangmeiband AC and Thongju AC.