In choosing to retain Nongthombam Biren Singh as the Chief Minister of Manipur, the Bharatiya Janata Party decided to go with continuity in a State where only one former chief minister – Okram Ibobi Singh of the Congress – had managed to carry on after a full five-year term. This should not come as a surprise even though there was speculation in the run-up to the announcement that other contenders had thrown their hats into the ring. It was under Mr. Singh’s leadership that the BJP not only increased its seat share in the Manipur Assembly, from 21 (in 2017) to 32 (in 2022), but had also managed to weather several storms while running a minority government in the last five years. Unlike 2017, when the BJP formed the government in dubious circumstances — the Congress had emerged as the single largest party with 28 seats — the ruling party had a clear-cut majority on its own this time. Besides, the BJP government has received post-election support from the Janata Dal (United) and the Nagaland Peoples’ Front, with six and five MLAs each. The clear verdict from the electorate this time should help Mr. Singh run a stable government free of the shenanigans that dominated his previous tenure. Mr. Singh also ran a spirited campaign to secure an electoral majority for the BJP, with some of his initiatives such as the “Go to Hills” and “Go to Villages” bearing fruit.
The stable majority should give Mr. Singh the ballast to focus more on governance and address the immediate needs of the State. Manipur has a higher literacy rate — 79.85% compared to the country’s average of 74.04% — besides achieving a medium human development index of 0.697, as of 2019. Only Sikkim and Mizoram have better indices in the North-east. But chronic unemployment, especially of the youth, remains a key concern that needs to be tackled by the Government. The recurring border conflicts in villages in Manipur and Nagaland, with strikes and blockades, need to end quickly, and a majority government will be better placed to address this ticklish problem. While the BJP remained silent on the unpopular Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act in the course of the election and still managed to win handily in the State, it cannot assume that the electorate agreed with the views of the Union government and the party on the Act. This could come up as a problem, yet again. As for the weakened Opposition in the State, the BJP’s facile victory opens up fresh challenges for the Congress’s beleaguered leadership even as smaller parties such as the National Peoples’ Party have tried to warm up to the BJP by offering outside support. Manipur is a vital border State, with a history of extremism and ethnic violence whose embers still remain. While a stable government is best placed to work out a lasting peace and focus on livelihood issues, it will be in the Opposition’s best interests to keep the Government on its toes by acting maturely.
