The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), bolstered by defections, is upbeat about retaining power in Manipur despite a perceived divide between the Hindu-dominated Imphal valley and the tribal Christian-majority hills around.
Behind the optimism of the Nongthombam Biren Singh government is a network of roads constructed during the last five years and improvement in the State’s power scenario, aided by the sun to a large extent.
Central leaders of the BJP said the grassroots workers of the party and sister organisations have been working overtime to ensure a better result in the upcoming Assembly polls than the 21 seats won in 2017. The focus is particularly on 12 seats where the margin of defeat in the last election was narrow.
In nine of these constituencies, the BJP candidates lost by less than 1,000 votes, the lowest being 19 in Sagolband. The margin of defeat in the remaining three seats was a little above 1,000 votes.
“We have worked out our strategies by analysing why we lost narrowly in these seats. We hope our government’s push for better surface connectivity and supply of electricity to the homes in the remotest parts of the State would present us in good stead,” said Manipur’s Public Works and Power Minister Thongam Biswajit Singh.
He said the government constructed, repaired or improved 1,560.26 km of roads from 2017-2020, apart from strategic bridges that have cut down travel time for people in the remote areas.
Mr. Singh also claimed the Manipur State Power Distribution Company Limited increased the average supply of electricity from less than 18 hours a day prior to 2017 to round-the-clock by 2021. “Power supply is interrupted only during planned or emergency shutdown for line maintenance,” he said.
Solar succour
Investing ₹115 crore in solar projects since 2017 has gone a long way in improving the State’s power scenario, officials of Manipur Renewable Energy Development Agency (Manireda) said.
Till September 2021, the State had an installed capacity of 8.24 megawatts comprising 5.5 MW of on-grid and 2.74 MW of off-grid solar systems.
“Electrification of 98 remote or difficult villages in nine hill districts covering 3,028 households was done through 606 kilowatts of solar home lighting systems. Solar lighting systems were also provided to 7,078 registered weavers in Manipur,” Mr. Singh told The Hindu from State capital Imphal.
As in Assam, weaving is intrinsic to rural and semi-urban life in Manipur.
