Our Correspondent
Imphal, Jan. 6 (EMN): Different political parties, mostly Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and its coalition partners -- National People’s Party (NPP) and Naga People’s Front (NPF) -- have started their election campaigns in Manipur since the last few days.
Manipur will go to polls this year along with Goa, Punjab Uttarkhand and UP as the ongoing assembly expires on March 19 this year.
The ruling BJP has been targeting “40 plus” (seats in 60 member assembly) in the forthcoming assembly elections.
BJP Manipur Pradesh President A Sharda Devi said despite facing unavoidable floods and the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic during its regime, the BJP government is taking up many development activities apart from building the trust and understanding among the different communities in the state.
Introduction of Inner Line Permit system, new welfare schemes in health, education, social welfare etc in the state were the key highlights of BJP in their report card.
Prior to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit and project inauguration programme in the state on January 4, the BJP national President JP Nadda had addressed Mahila Rally at Sagolband and Yuva rally at Kakching last month as part of the party’s election campaign.
BJP’s main coalition partner NPP also started poll preparation by holding different party meetings after its national president Conard K Sangma, who is the chief minister of Meghalaya, kicked off the party's poll campaign by attending a youth conclave of the party here recently.
In a recent campaign, NPP National Vice- President Y Joykumar, who is the Deputy Chief Minister in the present government, said NPP is targeting to become the single largest party in 2022 polls by winning a minimum of 20 seats.
Meanwhile NPF, which has four legislators in the house of 60, is planning to field more than a dozen candidates in the upcoming assembly elections, according to a source.
The opposition Indian National Congress (INC) also launched its poll campaigns. In one of the campaigns, President N Loken of Manipur Pradesh Congress Committee termed the BJP-led government in Manipur as nothing but an “advertise” government.
In 2017 assembly elections, INC emerged as the single largest party in the state by winning 28 seats out of 60 seats. However with 21 seats, BJP had been able to form government in Manipur in 2017 with support of four National People’s Party (NPP) MLAs, four Naga People's Front (NPF) MLAs and one MLA each from TMC, Lok Janshakti Party (LJP) and an Independent.
With the latest political development, the INC is down to 16 legislators while ruling BJP’s strength in the assembly has gone up to 26.