Will anti-AFSPA stand score over BJP's promise of peace and development in Manipur?

Manipur is set for results of the elections to 60-member Assembly on Thursday with political observers eagerly waiting to see whether BJP's promise to end militancy and bring in more development score over anti-AFSPA stand taken by Opposition Congress and three allies of the ruling party.

Even as exit polls have suggested a victory for BJP, the Opposition Congress believe it would again emerge as the single largest party and avoid the "mistakes" it committed in 2017 to bounce back to power. In the 2017 Assembly elections, Congress had won 28 seats while BJP came second by winning in 21. But BJP managed to stitch an alliance with the National People's Party (NPP) and Naga People's Front (NPF) and formed its first government. Two Congress MLAs also defected to BJP.

"The exit polls have been found to be wrong on several occasions. People are angry over BJP's non-commital to repeal AFSPA even as they had promised the same before 2017 elections," a Congress leader in Manipur said on Wednesday.

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"People of Manipur has always preferred Congress and voted for us in 2017 too. But BJP formed the government by resorting to undemocratic and unethical means by poaching a few of our MLAs. We will make sure that we don't allow BJP to repeat those tactics this time," he said.

Congress, which is contesting in 53 of 60 seats made repeal AFSPA as their main poll plank. NPP, NPF and Janta Dal (United) of Nitish Kumar, who are part of NDA, also took anti-AFSPA to stand in their poll manifestos. But BJP, which is fighting for all the seats with a target to form the government with an absolute majority remained silent on the long demand for repealing AFSPA this time. NPP and JD (U) contested for 38 seats while NPF put up 10 candidates.

The saffron party, this time, in fact, has focussed more on the steps taken in the past five years to end blockades, militancy and develop infrastructure to create jobs. "We will form a government this time with an absolute majority," CM Biren Singh said. BJP promised to end militancy through talks with all insurgent groups and build infrastructure for speedy development in the state. Prime Minister Narendra Modi promised that Manipur would become the hub of India's connectivity and trade with South-East Asian nations through the Asian Highway that passes through the state.

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Congress will try to take the help of NPP and NPF this time in case of a split verdict as the two parties already had a bitter experience with BJP in the past five years.

Manipur reported 89.4% polling on February 28 and March 5.

Chief Electoral Officer, Manipur, Rajesh Agrawala said on Wednesday that counting will begin from 8 am with the postal ballots first followed by the EVMs.

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