Both BJP, Cong hopeful of victory
Source: The Sangai Express

Imphal, June 01 2024: With just two days to go to the counting of votes for the two Lok Sabha seats of Manipur, BJP and its rival Congress are equally hopeful of victory.

Notably, BJP fielded Education Minister Thou-naojam Basantakumar in Inner Manipur Parliamentary Constituency while Congress party put up Dr Bimol Akoijam.

In Outer Manipur PC, BJP did not put any candidate but it supported NPF's Timothy Zimik against INC's Alfred Kanngam Arthur.

However, an independent survey carried out by The Sangai Express through interaction with a cross-section people including voters, MLAs of both BJP and Congress, leaders of the two rival parties, and other political parties, political analysts, CSO leaders and intelligence agencies found that Congress has greater chances of emerging victorious in both the Lok Sabha seats.

Both BJP, Cong hopeful of victory

Of the six candidates who contested in Inner Manipur PC, the real fight would be between INC's Prof Bimol Akoijam and BJP's Th Basantakumar.

The other candidates are Thounaojam Maheshwar (RPI-A), Moirangthem Totomsana (Ind), RK Somendro alias Kaiku (Ind) and Haorungbam Saratchandra (Ind) .

A considerable section of the voters residing in the 32 Assembly segments of Inner Manipur PC had a strong resentment against Prime Minister Narendra Modi's stoic silence to the protracted Manipur crisis and the BJP Government's failure to take up any tangible action to resolve the crisis.

These voters were also not happy against the BJP Government's failure to initiate any concrete action against the Kuki militants who were waging war with a sinister motive to fragment Manipur.

It is being speculated that these voters, driven by their resentment against the BJP Government, voted in favour of the Congress candidate.

Moreover, Dr Bimol Akoijam's pro-active engagement in several key issues of Manipur and his role in setting straight the wrong narratives of the Manipur crisis through National media also proved to be big plus points for the Congress party.

In addition, there are considerable numbers of voters in almost every Assembly segment who believe in the Congress party's ideology.

It is being speculated that 70 to 80 per cent of the total Muslim votes would have gone in favour of the Congress party.

Notably, the Congress party and it candidates were also supported by CPI and other Left parties.Further, many political analysts are of the view that most Meitei Christians would have voted for Dr Bimol Akoijam.On the other hand, BJP's allies viz; NPP, NPF and Independent MLAs who are supporting the BJP Government were not seen campaigning whole-heartedly for the BJP candidate, thereby putting the rival Congress candidate on an advantageous position.

Nonetheless, some key leaders of BJP exuded confidence that Th Basantakumar would certainly win the Inner Manipur Lok Sabha seat.

Except for CPI's Ngangom Mahendra, all Lok Sabha elections in Inner Manipur PC were won by the ruling parties, they asserted.

BJP and its allies have much larger number of MLAs at present.

These MLAs together with their supporters and a large number of people who believed in BJP worked hard for the party's candidate.

Appreciating BJP Government's achievements like introduction of Inner Line Permit System, consistent efforts to implement NRC, crackdown against illegal immigration from Myanmar and poppy plantation, scrapping of FMR, border fencing etc, a large majority of the people of Manipur voted for the BJP candidate, they said.

On the other hand, deputy CLP leader K Ranjit said that Dr Bimol Akoijam will certainly win the Inner Manipur Lok Sabha seat by a margin of at least 10,000 to 20,000 votes.

Meanwhile, some MLAs and key leaders of BJP and NPF confided that the chances of NPF candidate Timothy Zimik's victory in Outer Manipur PC is slim.

Interaction with many key leaders of BJP, NPF, Congress, CSs , student organisations and some voters revealed that INC's Alfred Kanngam Arthur is more likely to wrest the Outer Manipur seat.

But the results of the elections will be known only after counting on June 4 .