40 seats : BJP obviously on a high : Issues which will impact on the polls
- The Sangai Express Editorial :: October 17 2016 -

The BJP is obviously on a high. And not without reason.

Three Congress MLAs have already resigned from the party and the Assembly as well and while one out of the three has joined the BJP, there is every likelihood of the other two following suit.

Top this with the fact that another former Congress MLA, Dr Kh Loken of Sagolband Assembly Constituency has also joined the saffron party and surely the BJP is on a high.

Take the India Today-Axis poll and there is every reason for the BJP to feel elated.

31 to 35 is the number of seats for the BJP which has been worked out during the poll survey conducted recently and there is no reason why veteran politician and BJP State election management committee, Th Chaoba should not predict that the BJP will pocket 40 seats in the Assembly election which is poised to go to polls in the early part of next year.

Study the likely outcome of the Assembly election here next year with what has been happening in the country so far and there is every reason for the feel good factor to envelop the BJP.

The only set back the party received was the election to the Delhi Assembly but then again remember it was not the Congress which delivered the blow to the BJP, but the Aam Admi Party (AAP).

However despite the opinion poll, there are other factors, which when taken into consideration may well impact on the poll.

The Congress will surely not lose any opportunity to land blows where it will hurt the BJP.

A look at some of the issues which have besieged the State for some time now will help one in understanding what strategy different political parties will adopt in the run up to the Assembly election.

What exactly is the stand of the BJP on the demand to implement the Inner Line Permit System or a mechanism to regulate the inflow of non-local people into the State ?

The Congress has already made its stand known courtesy the three Bills which were passed on August 31 last year.

That one of the Bills has been rejected by the Presidentis well known so the question is where does the State BJP stand on this issue ?

At the same time no political party has made its stand on the growing demand that the Meeteis/Meiteis be included in the ST list of the Constitution of India.

However with October given as the time frame for the State Government to recommend the demand to the Centre, the stand of the other political parties too may be asked in the coming days.

The BJP and the Congress may trade charges at each other on the issue of the territorial integrity of the State, but the important question is how close is the BJP walking with the NPF ?

The stand of the NPF on the issue is well known and this is a point which would not have missed the eyes of the Congress.

So while the Congress may have lost a lot of ground in the hills, courtesy the three Bills passed last year, it may win over the people in the valley area courtesy its safe distance from the NPF.

These are some probabilities but it also stands that nothing can be said for sure in politics.