Defections from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Congress seem to have catapulted the Janata Dal(United) into the big league of poll players in Manipur. Many BJP leaders being denied tickets were expected to move to the Meghalaya-headquartered National People’s Party (NPP), a minor partner in the BJP-led government in Manipur.
The BJP had at least three ticket aspirants for each of the 60 Assembly seats in the State. The NPP became a beneficiary of this disgruntlement. But many defectors have preferred to go to the JD(U), a constituent of the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government at the Centre.
15 MLAs jump ship
At least 15 sitting and former MLAs of the BJP and the Congress, and more leaders from these two parties have joined the JD(U). The defectors from BJP include MLA Kshetrimayum Biren, former MLAs Samuel Jendai and Khwairakpam Loken, former Chief Secretary O. Nabakishore and former Director-General of Police L.M. Khaute.
Congress MLA Khumukcham Joykishan, independent MLAs Ashab Uddin, Muhammad Abdul Nasir and former Congress vice-president Dwijamani are also contesting the polls on a JD(U) ticket.
“We have fielded candidates in 37 seats. But given the overwhelming response from aspirants, we are screening applications for contesting more seats,” JD(U) State president Hangkhanpao Taithul said. “Given the winnability of the candidates, we hope to win a sizeable number of seats,” he said.
One of the reasons why JD(U) has “shot to popularity” is Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar’s “model of good governance”, which people want to be replicated in Manipur, Mr. Taithul said. The JD(U) has been cutting a sorry figure in Manipur after winning one of the 18 seats it contested in the 2000 Assembly elections. N. Zatawn was the lone winner from the Singhat constituency.
The party lost all the seven, three and five seats it contested in 2002, 2007 and 2012, respectively – all but one candidate forfeiting their deposits. It did not contest the 2017 polls, but gained an MLA in the form of a defector from the Congress.
The JD(U)’s poll strategy in Manipur appears to have been taken from its Arunachal Pradesh playbook. The party had mostly fielded candidates who were denied tickets by the BJP in that State’s 2019 polls. The JD(U) ended up as the second largest party, winning seven seats. However six of them later returned to the BJP. Techi Kaso is the JD(U)’s lone legislator in Arunachal Pradesh now.
