Manipur Election Results 2017: Congress, BJP are neck and neck; will need support from smaller parties to form govt

After a long-drawn battle in Manipur over big political issues like economic blockade, creation of seven new districts and revocation of Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act (Afspa) among other issues, the final results for Manipur Assembly Election 2017 are out.

The Congress has emerged victorious, bagging 28 number of seats in the 60-seat Manipur Assembly. To form a government, the party needs 31 seats. The Bharatiya Janta Party secured 21 seats and other parties secured 11 seats. The other parties are All India Trinamool Congress (AITC) which secured one seat, Naga Peoples Front (NPF) secured four seats, Lok Jan Shakti Party (LJS) secured 1 seat, National People’s Party (NPP) secured four seats and Independent candidate secured one seat.

Looking at the political alliances which are likely to occur are between BJP and NPF. But Congress will have an easier time snagging that majority.

The Manipur state Assembly went to polls on 4 and 8 March with a re-poll done on 9 March in 34 stations in eight districts.

All eyes were on Thoubal constituency, the home constituency of chief minister Okram Ibobi Singh, who was competing against People’s Resurgence and Justice Alliance’s Irom Sharmila and BJP nominee Th Jadumani. Ibobi Singh has won from the Thoubal constituency in 2007 and 2012.

Irom Sharmila, who in 2016 ended her 16-year-long fast demanding the revocation of the Afspa, 1958, and launched her People’s Resurgence and Justice Alliance (PRJA) party, entered politics promising to repeal the legislation through constitutional means.

The party, in its initial weeks, tried to cast itself in the mould of the Aam Aadmi Party. Just like Arvind Kejriwal had done with AAP five years ago, the PRJA also took up the cause of corruption.

To further cement its place as a whistleblower of Indian politics, the PRJA adopted the “whistle” symbol as well. In fact, its aspirations caught the eye of Kejriwal himself, and the Delhi chief minister even made a donation to Sharmila’s party, and urged others to donate generously.

The party, with little money or organisation, fielded five candidates, including two women. Sharmila contested against chief minister Ibobi Singh in Thoubal, her party convener Erendro Leichombam contested in Thangmeibandh, rights activist Najima Bibi in Wabagai constituency in Thoubal district, Bowang Kho, a former student leader, in Karong constituency of the Naga-dominated district of Senapati, and Md Ilyash, a municipal councillor, in Lilong constituency in Thoubal district.