Manipur Result 2022: There Is A Big Message In BJP’s Return To Power In This Northeast State

After defeating the grand old party in Assam last year for a second time, the BJP has been successful in giving another major shock to the Congress in the Northeast — this time in Manipur.

For the first time, the BJP is on its way to secure a big victory in the northeastern state of Manipur, with the trends giving the party a full majority on its own. This is actually the party’s first major victory in the state in the legislative elections. 

True that the party formed its first government in 2017 but that became possible due to its ability to stitch post-poll alliances with parties like NPP and NPF. At the time of writing, the BJP had won 20 seats and was leading on 12 with a vote share of 37.68 per cent. Its arch-rival Congress, which had been the dominant party in Manipur for a long time, has won three seats and is leading on just one seat, recording a dismal vote share of 16.71 per cent.

It Was Not An Easy Task But ‘Double Engine’ Slogan Worked

The coalition government led by the BJP with former Congress leader N Biren Singh as the chief minister didn’t have a smooth run due to differences with ally NPP. Adding to that, there were reports of internal rivalry within the party with Thongam Bishwajit Singh, a powerful state minister, eyeing the chief minister’s post. So, it was a challenge for the BJP to return to power in a state like Manipur, where it never had a strong base.

One of the major factors behind the BJP victory in the north-eastern state is the successful propagation of the “double engine” slogan. It is a well known bitter truth that the Northeast has often been ignored by the powers that be in Delhi. To be fair, the saffron party has somehow been successful in conveying the message to the voters of the state and the region that it has no intention to ignore them. 

In fact, Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his visits to the state has often criticised the Congress for ignoring the region and at the same time has highlighted how the saffron party is concerned about the development of the state and the region. Currently Modi’s cabinet has five ministers from the Northeast, including RK Ranjan Singh, the party’s only Lok Sabha MP from the state. 

Work Done By Biren Singh Govt  

There have been visible changes on the ground too. 

Since the BJP came to power at the Centre in 2014, it has tried to bring the Northeast on the railway map in order to connect this undeveloped region with the other parts of the country. The first broad gauge train reached the state in 2016 and this year it got the first Jan Shatabdi Express, which connects Manipur’s Jiribam with Assam and Tripura. 

The Biren Singh government's initiative to reach the voters of the state through the “Go To Village Mission” also worked for the ruling party. Through this initiative, the objective of the party was to ensure doorstep delivery of services and also build trust with the voters living in the villages. The services included the implementation of the welfare schemes launched by the Central government too. 

Through the “Go To Hills Mission”, meanwhile, the BJP government tried to reach out to the hills. Though the hills are dominated by Nagas and Kukis, both adhering to Christianity, the BJP that is often termed an “anti-minority party” has been quite successful to penetrate these areas. It can be safely said that the party’s ‘double engine’ slogan has been appreciated by the voters.

What Manipur Result Signifies For BJP

The early next year will see elections in three other NE states — Tripura, Meghalaya and Nagaland. Out of the eight NE states, BJP has currently chief ministers in Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur and Tripura. 

In Tripura, the saffron party has already been facing discontent and it can’t afford to lose this Bengali-majority state. In Nagaland, the party has its lone deputy chief minister in the region as it won 12 seats in alliance with Neiphiu Rio’s NDPP in the 2018 polls. In Nagaland, the coming together of the ruling NDPP and the main opposition NPF is seen as a threat by the BJP, which seeks to increase its presence in the Christian-dominant state. 

In Meghalaya, the BJP is a part of the Conrad Sangma-led NPP government but is relatively a small player. Recently, Sangma even secured the support of five Congress MLAs for the coalition government at a time when the BJP-NPP relations have reached a low point in Manipur. 

Considering all these factors, the BJP’s victory in Manipur is politically significant as it has got a boost, and has a message for the three states going to polls — that it is here to stay in the Northeast and is not an outsider any more.

The Challenges Ahead For BJP

No doubt the BJP is on its way to create history in Manipur but it is also likely to face many challenges ahead. Controlling unemployment and walking the tightrope among the Meiteis, Nagas and Kukis are two of them. 

The Meiteis are demanding the Scheduled Tribe status while the Nagas and Kukis are demanding more power. 

The state also has a history of insurgency and despite tall claims of the BJP that it has brought peace, the insurgency is still active in the hills with the porous India-Myanmar border only aiding this. 

In the recent elections too, violence, including allegations of booth capturing and intimidating of voters, occurred in the areas influenced by Kuki insurgents. As a result, the state saw repolls at some polling centres. These Kuki insurgents are already in the suspension of operations (SOO) with the Centre. Remote parts of the hills still await development and for that to happen, peace is necessary.. The voters have high expectations of peace under the BJP’s double engine rule.

The author is a political commentator.

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