Runner-up steals the show in Manipur

With 21 seats, BJP could still form the govt. with support of smaller parties

New role: National People’s Party candidate and former DGP Y. Joykumar celebrates his win from Uripok .

Even though the electorate in Manipur delivered a fractured mandate, Saturday’s results came as a stunning success for the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). The party won 21 seats in the 60-member Assembly. In the 2012 Assembly polls, the BJP could not win even a single seat.

Even though the Congress emerged as the single largest party with 28 seats, it is advantage BJP as smaller parties such as the National People’s Party (NPP) and the Naga People’s Front (NPF) are inclined towards the BJP.

Party general secretary Ram Madhav claimed that the NPF, with four seats, had decided to support a non-Congress government in the State. Interestingly, the BJP recorded over 36.3 % votes, higher than the Congress with about 35.1% vote.

 

The issues that worked for the BJP include anti-incumbency against 15 years of the Okram Ibobi Singh government and the high-pitched campaign across the State. Contrary to the expectations of its opponents that the BJP can win seats only in the hills, the party won a significant number of seats in the valley as well.

Among the notable winners from the party are N. Biren Singh from Heingang Assembly seat and T. Biswajit Singh from the Thongju Assembly seat. Both are being tipped as the party’s chief ministerial candidate if the BJP manages the majority.

Meanwhile, the Congress managed to put up a good show. Mr. Ibobi Singh won the Thoubal seat by a margin of over 10,400 votes. Deputy Chief Minister Gangmei Gaikhangam won the Niungbal Assembly seat by a margin of 5,147 votes.