Naga People’s Front will support any non-Congress party
Imphal: The BJP’s chances of forming the next government in Manipur brightened on Sunday as the National People’s Party and the LJP formally extended their support.
Flanked by NPP and LJP leaders and their winning candidates, BJP general secretary Ram Madhav told a press conference, “We have been able to come to an understanding with the NPP and the Lok Janshakti Party in our bid to form the government in Manipur.”
The NPP and the LJP, both NDA constituents at the Centre, have won four seats and one seat, respectively, which will add up to 26 with BJP’s 21, five short of the magic figure of 31 to form the government.
Madhav said that as per an “understanding” with another NDA partner Naga People’s Front, which has won four seats, the number would go up to 30 and the support of one more MLA would be “secured”.
He said that on Saturday the NPF had issued a press statement wherein it said it was willing to form a non-Congress government in Manipur.
The NPP’s Conrad Sangma said that the popular verdict was for a change in Manipur. Asked who would be the chief minister in the event of the BJP forming a coalition government, Madhav said that the party leadership would decide soon.
The BJP is within a striking distance of forming a government in Manipur for the first time though it emerged as the second largest party after the Congress, provided it is able to enlist support of three NDA partners.
The election threw up a hung verdict with none of the two mainstream parties being able to cross the magic figure of 31 in the 60-member Assembly.
The Congress was the closest with 28 seats against BJP’s 21, an impressive performance by all accounts. The BJP is confident of forming the government by securing support of the Nationalist People’s Party (NPP) and Naga People’s Front (NPF), alliance partners of the North East Democratic Alliance and NDA at the Centre, which bagged four seats each. The LJP, which is an NDA partner, TMC and Independents have bagged one seat each.
The NPP has won four seats, LJP has won one seat. Even though we have fought separately we are hopeful that they will join us as they are our partners in the NDA government.
We will talk to the TMC and Independent candidates also,” BJP leader N Biren, told reporters.
After its stunning victory in Assam in 2016, the BJP scripted a dramatic turnaround of fortunes in the Northeast, a traditional stronghold of the Congress, bagging 36.3 per cent votes, which is even higher than the Congress which polled 35.1 per cent votes.
The presence of the BJP was so nominal in the state . Things looked up after the BJP’s ascension to power at the Centre in 2014.
“After party’s victory at the Lok Sabha election in 2014, the party felt the need to increase its foot print in the Northeast as the region is very important in our party’s vision of overall development and a Congress-free India,” state BJP president K Bhabananda Singh had said prior to the elections.
After the party’s victory in Assam, the BJP had engaged its election machinery full throttle as well as some of its finest strategists like Ram Madhav to repeat Assam in Manipur.
With anti-incumbency at its height after a 15-year Congress rule, led by Okram Ibobi Singh, the BJP milked both dissent within the Congress and the anti-incumbency factor till the last drop.
This time, the BJP built an anti-Congress platform by getting on board leaders who have popularity of their own but had fallen out with Ibobi Singh.
The BJP was able to pocket several top leaders of the Congress such as N Biren, Y Erabot and O Chauba, although it itself suffered a few casualties losing KH Jaikishan to the Congress.
The Congress’s campaign strategy of accusing the saffron party of being hand in glove with the United Naga Council, which sponsored the crippling economic blockade to protest against the bifurcation of the districts in the-Naga dominated hills, did not cut much ice with the voters.
Neither did its allegation that if the BJP came to power it would compromise the territorial integrity of the state. The BJP did well in the valley, where the Congress was hoping to reap the benefits of economic blockade.
The sharp decline in the vote share and number of seats of the Congress from 42 per cent in 2012 to 35 per cent in 2017, and to 28 seats from 42 seats last time has put the state leadership under the scanner. (PTI)