Hectic political activities ahead of vote counting
NPP-Congress eyeing to form alliance government parleys underway
Source: Chronicle News Service

Imphal, March 09 2022: A day before the counting of votes to the two-phase Manipur assembly elections, held on February 28 and March 5, hectic political activities were seen on Wednesday in the BJP-ruled state.

A five-member high-level Congress delegation led by party General Secretary Mukul Was-nik, BJP's national spokesperson Sambit Patra and five Janata Dal-United MPs are camping here to keep a close vigil of the vote counting process on Thursday, and to take immediate decisions as the situation progresses.

The AICC delegation, which also includes Chhattisgarh Health Minister TS Singhdeo, Lok Sabha Member from Meghalaya Vincent Pala, party leader Imran Kidwai, held a series of meetings on Tuesday and Wednesday with Congress' Manipur in-charge Bhakta Charan Das, Congress Legislature Party leader and former Chief Minister O Ibobi Singh, state Congress President N Loken Singh and working President Irengbam Hemochandra Singh.

Hemochandra said that this time the central and state leaders are very serious to deal with the situation before and during the counting of votes and to prevent any misdeed by the BJP.

"Last time (in 2017), despite the Congress becoming the single largest party by securing 28 out of the 60 seats, the BJP through horse trading and with the help of Raj Bhavan formed the government by winning 21 seats on its (BJP) owp.

This time we would not allow such wrongdoings," the Congress leader said.

Before the two phase assembly elections, all the Congress party candidates were made to swear in the name of God not to switch sides if they win in the election.

Central Minister Pratima Bhowmik, who is BJP'S one of the central observers for Manipur, while talking to IANS said that her party is coming back to power with absolute majority and there is no doubt on this.

The leaders of the National People's Party (NPP), BJP's estranged ally, and Janata Dal (United), are also claiming that they would play a vital role in government formation.

The two parties fielded 38 candidates each this time.

NPP general secretary for Manipur, Sheikh Noorul Hassan, said that in the previous Assembly elections, the party had secured four seats, but this time it will bag more than 20 seats to become a formidable political force in Manipur.

Various exit polls on Monday, like previous elections in 2017, predicted fractured mandate in the elections.

Manipur witnessed a hung Assembly in the previous polls in 2017, and this time too, most of the exit polls' predictions indicate another hung house.

The BJP had secured 21 seats in the 60-member Assembly in the last polls in 2017 and wrested power for the first time after stitching together a coalition government with the support of four NPP MLAs, four Naga People's Front (NPF) members, the lone Trinamool Congress MLA and an Independent member.

However, this time the BJP, NPP and NPF are contesting separately and have fielded candidates against each other.

Congress, which governed the state for 15 consecutive years (2002-2017) and emerged as the single largest party by securing 28 seats in 2017, this time formed a Manipur Progressive Secular Alliance (MPSA) after forging a pre-poll alliance with four Left parties and Janata Dal-Secular.

The Congress has fielded 53 candidates out of the 60 seats and the political circles observed that the party considering the post poll alliance has supported the candidates of NPP and other parties in the elections.

Anticipating a fractured mandate, different political parties have reportedly started to reach to candidates, who have high potentials of winning the election.

Still nursing wounds it suffered after the 2017 polls, the Congress party is making every possible effort to ensure formation of the government including holding parleys with potential winners.

AICC leaders, who have been in Imphal as poll observers, met NPP leaders on multiple occasions and discussed a post poll alliance.

Sources said that INC and NPP leaders are holding discussions at Hotel Classic Grande.

Deputy chief minister Y Joykumar, L Jayantakumar and other party leaders represented NPP in the meeting while INC led by former chief minister O Ibobi, MPCC president N Loken and others.

Mention may be made that NPP national leader and Meghalaya chief minister Conrad Sangma had expressed dissent over the alliance with BJP in Manipur in the last five years.

Consequently, NEDA convener and Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma had also declared that BJP will not form alliance with NPP but form a BJP government in the state.

Both the parties had publicly expressed their dissatisfactions against one another in running the coalition government.

JD-U, a new entrant in the politics of the state, is also likely to open its account by winning some seats.

Besides, at least two independent candidates are likely to get elected.

Considering this situation, political parties have started gathering their potential candidates and also reaching out to likeminded parties to form the government.

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