BJP's double-engine 'sarkar' faces backlash in Manipur as Congress surges ahead

The diminishing electoral return of divisive politics as demonstrated across the country, is perhaps best exemplified in Manipur, where the BJP’s double-engine 'sarkar' is getting whipped by the voters for its mishandling of ethnic strife that has rocked the state for over a year now.

The Congress has taken a huge lead in both of Manipur’s parliamentary seats – Inner Manipur and Outer Manipur.

Earlier this year, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi kicked off his Bharat Nyay Jodo Yatra from the strife-torn state, which has been left to simmer due to inaction by the BJP-led governments, both at the Centre and the state.

Rahul's appeal for communal harmony and peace appears to have struck a chord with the voters, both in Inner Manipur where the Meitei population is a majority and tribal-dominated Outer Manipur seats.

Leading Congress candidates 

Congress’ Angomcha Bimol Akoijam has cruised ahead of his nearest rival, BJP’s T Basanta Kumar Singh, a sitting minister.

In Outer Manipur, Congress candidate Alfred Kanngam S Arthur is all set for a victory against KT Zimik of the BJP-backed Naga People’s Front (NPF).

Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s failure to visit the state during the ethnic violence became a major poll issue.

Manipur is not the only northeastern state where the Grand Old Party is seeing some turnaround after a long hiatus.

Congress resurgence in Northeast 

After 20 long years, the Congress is poised to win the lone Nagaland parliamentary seat. Leading from the front, Congress state president S Supongmeren Jamir sprung a surprise by defeating Chumben Murry of the ruling Nationalist Democratic Progressive Party (NDPP), a BJP ally.

Even in Assam, the Congress has reasons to smile despite the BJP’s supremacy in the state.

It could wrest the prestigious Jorhat seat from the BJP, which had pulled out all stops to ensure the defeat of Gaurav Gogoi. It also marginally increased its tally in Assam by romping home in three seats. In Karimganj, it is engaged in a neck-to-neck contest. The Congress managed to win only two of the state’s 14 seats in 2019.

More than the number, the Congress, while preparing for the 2026 assembly elections, can draw some hope from the fact that the AIUDF could not make much dent into its minority vote banks this time. Moreover, its victory in Jorhat indicates a consolidation of Ahom votes in favour of the Congress. It can be a springboard for the party’s revival in Upper Assam.

The BJP’s other alliance partner, the National People’s Party of Conrad Sangma, bit the dust in two Meghalaya seats.

Saleng A Sangma of the Congress defeated NPP’s Agatha Sangma in Tura, while in Shillong, Ricky Andrew of the Voice of the People’s Party crossed the victory line. The Congress finished second in Shillong.

The BJP and its allies, however, pocketed both the seats in Arunachal Pradesh and Tripura. One seat each in Mizoram and Sikkim went to the regional parties there.