North East: Lok Sabha poll dates, major candidates, key issues
Here is a round-up of the 2024 Lok Sabha election dates, major candidates in the fray, and key poll issues in the seven northeastern states and Sikkim
The Seven Sisters — that is, the seven northeastern states — and Sikkim will cast their votes in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections on April 19, 26, and May 7, the first three phases of the seven-phase polls. Together, they comprise 25 Lok Sabha seats, with the bulk of these being in Assam.
In many parts of the North East, voters tend to prefer local parties though the Congress has often been a favourite in the past, a place the BJP has gradually captured. This time, it will be interesting to see what kind of impact the notification of the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and the Manipur violence have on the votes.
Here is a brief account of the election dates in each state, key issues, major parties in the fray, and how they stood in 2019.
ASSAM
Number of seats: 14
Poll dates
April 19 (Phase 1): Kaziranga, Sonitpur, Lakhimpur, Dibrugarh, Jorhat
April 26 (Phase 2): Darrang-Udalguri, Diphu, Karimganj, Silchar, Nagaon
May 7 (Phase 3): Kokrajhar, Dhubri, Barpeta, Guwahati
2019 Lok Sabha poll results: The BJP had bagged nine of the 14 seats with a 36% vote share, while the Congress had won only three with a 35.44% vote share. The All India United Democratic Front (AIUDF) and an Independent had won one seat each.
Major players in 2024: BJP will contest 11 of the 14 seats this time, while its allies Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) and United People’s Party Liberal (UPPL) will contest two and one seats, respectively.
The Congress has fielded candidates in 13 of the 14 seats, while it has left the Dibrugarh seat to ally Assam Jatiya Parishad (AJP).
Congress candidate from Jorhat, Gaurav Gogoi, dances with supporters during his election campaign in Majuli, Assam | PTI
ARUNACHAL PRADESH
Number of seats: 2
Poll date
April 19 (Phase 1): Arunachal Pradesh East, Arunachal Pradesh West
2019 Lok Sabha poll results: The BJP bagged both seats, with Kiren Rijiju winning Arunachal West by a whopping 1,74,843 votes. Arunachal East was won by Tapir Gao by 69,948 votes.
Major players in 2024: BJP has fielded Cabinet minister Rijiju and state party chief Tapir Gao again from the respective seats. In all, eight candidates are in the fray for the Arunachal West seat, including former chief minister Nabam Tuki of the Congress. Arunachal East has six candidates in the fray, including Bosiram Siram of the Congress.
Assembly polls: Arunachal will also vote for its 60-seat Assembly on April 19.
MEGHALAYA
Number of seats: 2
Poll date: April 19 (Phase 1): Tura, Shillong
2019 Lok Sabha poll results: Vincent H Pala of the Congress is the incumbent MP from the Shillong seat, while Agatha K Sangma of the National People’s Party (NPP) was the winner from Tura in 2019. The NPP is an NDA ally.
Major players in 2024: While three-time MP Pala is once again the Congress candidate from Shillong, taking him on from the NPP will be Mazel Ampareen Lyngdoh, a former Congress leader in the state. Notably, the Shillong seat has been with the Congress for 30 years.
Chief Minister Conrad Sangma’s sister and former Union Minister Agatha Sangma will also contest once again from Tura. The Sangma family has retained this constituency since the mid-1970s.
What will make the contest slightly interesting is the entry of the Trinamool Congress in the picture. TMC has fielded former minister Zenith Sangma in Tura. He is the younger brother of former Chief Minister Mukul Sangma, who is now with TMC.
MANIPUR
Number of seats: 2
Poll dates
April 19 (Phase 1): Inner Manipur
April 26 (Phase 2): Outer Manipur
2019 Lok Sabha poll results: While BJP’s RK Ranjan Singh was the winning candidate of the Inner Manipur seat, Lorho S Pfoze of the Naga People’s Front won the Outer Manipur seat. Inner Manipur largely constitutes the valley areas of Imphal.
Major players in 2024: While the Congress has fielded candidates in both Inner and Outer Manipur, BJP has fielded a candidate only in Inner Manipur. Ally Naga People’s Front is contesting the Outer Manipur seat for NDA. A total of five independent candidates are contesting the two seats.
Academic Bimol Akoijam, who is set to make his political debut as the Congress candidate from Inner Manipur, will take on state Cabinet minister and former IPS officer Thounaojam Basanta Singh of the BJP. Akoijam is an associate professor at Jawaharlal Nehru University.
Posters by the Election Commission in Manipur ahead of Lok Sabha polls | PTI
MIZORAM
Number of seats: 1
Poll date: April 19 (Phase 1)
2019 Lok Sabha poll results: The Mizo National Front (MNF) had bagged Mizoram’s only Lok Sabha seat with C Lalrosanga defeating Independent candidate Lalnghinglova Hmar. Hmar is currently an MLA and a minister in the Mizoram government.
Major players in 2024: The MNF was in power in Mizoram till last year, when it lost the Assembly polls to the Zoram People’s Movement (ZPM). Interestingly, Hmar had the ZPM’s support in the 2019 polls. It will be interesting to see if the Lok Sabha polls reflect last year’s Assembly poll results.
The notable candidates in the fray for the Mizoram Lok Sabha seat are K Vanlalvena of MNF, Richard Vanlalhmangaiha of ZPM, Lalbiakzama of Congress, Vanhlalmuaka of BJP, and Rita Malsawmi of the Mizo People’s Conference (MPC).
NAGALAND
Number of seats: 1
Poll date: April 19 (Phase 1)
2019 Lok Sabha poll results: Tokheho Yepthomi of the Nationalist Democratic Progressive Party (NDPP), an NDA constituent, is the current MP representing Nagaland’s sole Lok Sabha seat.
Major players in 2024: This time, Chumben Murry of the NDPP will take on S Supongmeren Jamir of the Congress from this seat.
TRIPURA
Number of seats: 2
Poll dates
April 19 (Phase 1): Tripura West
April 26 (Phase 2): Tripura East
2019 Lok Sabha poll results: Tripura went saffron in 2019, with both seats going to the BJP. The incumbent MP from Tripura West is Pratima Bhowmik, who has been serving as the Minister of State in the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment since July 2021, becoming the first-ever person from Tripura to become a minister in a Union Cabinet. The current MP from Tripura East is Rebati Tripura.
Major players in 2024: This time, former CM Biplab Kumar Deb of the BJP will take on Tripura Pradesh Congress Committee chief Ashish Kumar Saha in Tripura West, while BJP’s Kriti Singh Debbarma will challenge Rajendra Reang of the CPI(M) for the Tripura East seat. The recent alliance between the BJP and TIPRA Motha party has made things interesting in the tiny northeastern state.
Tripura CM Manik Saha with BJP candidate Kriti Singh Debbarma during a campaign rally at Kanchanpur in North Tripura district | PTI
SIKKIM
Number of seats: 1
Poll date: April 19 (Phase 1)
2019 Lok Sabha poll results: Indra Hang Subba of the Sikkim Krantikari Morcha (SKM) is the incumbent MP from this seat.
Major players in 2024: The Congress has fielded Gopal Chettri while the BJP candidate is Dinesh Chandra Nepal. Subba will be fighting to retain the seat for the SKM, while former CM Pawan Chamling’s Sikkim Democratic Front (SDF) has fielded Prem Das Rai. The BJP will be going solo in the state after recently severing ties with the SKM over a seat-sharing dispute.
Assembly polls: Sikkim will also vote for its 32-seat Assembly on April 19.
MAJOR ELECTION ISSUES IN NORTH EAST
CAA
The notification of the CAA is expected to be a major deciding factor these polls. Assam, for instance, has a major Muslim population, making up for 34.22 per cent of the state’s population. It is also the second-largest religious group in Assam.
The Congress candidate from Jorhat, Gaurav Gogoi, was quoted by PTI as saying: “At present, people are very restless about the CAA and want to protest against it democratically. However, Assam’s BJP government has even snatched the right to protest. If a student wants to protest, he or she is sent to jail, if a press person asks a question, that person’s job is lost. If people cannot even protest peacefully, then where is democracy?” Gogoi reportedly said, hitting out at the BJP.
Similarly, in Meghalaya, Zenith Sangma has been attacking the NPP and Agatha Sangma over supporting the CAA. “While campaigning in the last election, she assured they will oppose the CAA, but she voted for the Bill in Parliament. So, the people of Meghalaya were betrayed,” he has been quoted as saying recently.
Manipur violence
The months-long Manipur violence, which has cast a shadow on poll campaigning in the state as well, is likely to affect not only the results in Manipur but also the neighbouring Mizoram.
The latter, for instance, saw a reflection of the violence in its Assembly elections last year, with ZPM forming the government after pushing aside the MNF, which severed ties with the BJP but could not save the day nevertheless. As the Kuki-Zo community fled the strife-torn Manipur in hundreds, the Mizos, who are ethnically similar, have been furious with the way things were handled in the neighbouring state.
At the same time, it will be interesting to see how the pro-BJP Meiteis in the Imphal Valley react these polls.
Infrastructure and communication
Infrastructure and communication remain major issues in the entire North East as the far-flung border areas struggle to find the fruits of development trickling down their way. Arunachal, which has been relentlessly claimed by China as its territory, seeks better connectivity with the rest of India. Both the BJP and the Congress have been focusing their poll campaigns on development agendas, including that of the border areas.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi recently listed what the North East has got in term of infrastructure in the 10 years of the NDA government. “Meghalaya came on India’s railway network after 67 years of Independence. Nagaland got its second railway station after 100 years. The first goods train reached Rani Gaidinliu railway station in Manipur. The North East got its first semi-high-speed train. Sikkim got its first airport.…The number of airports has increased from 9 to 17, with 74 routes, under the UDAN scheme,” he reportedly said.
Local issues and identities
Besides these, each state has its own issues that can swing the votes in favour of one party or the other. Nagaland has its age-old political issues, including the Naga Peace Accord, talks for a separate flag and constitution, and disputes over Naga-inhabited regions in neighbouring states. Meghalaya, for instance, has issues such as the Inner Line Permit (ILP), while several states have demands related to the protection of the rights of indigenous people. Local tribal and community identities are also likely to play major roles in sync with these issues.
