By the rule of thumb, small Northeast states like Manipur normally tend to lean towards the party in power at the centre. A myth or an understanding, if you like – that only if the governing party in the state is the same as in the centre, flows of the state’s fund and other benefits from the centre would have no obstacle – has come to be embedded in the subconscious of these places.
Without spelling it out openly, this is also the psychology prime minister Narendra Modi played on during his official visit to Manipur on January 4, when he said a twin engine developmental vehicle is best suited for Manipur. This was an indirect nudge to the state to return the Bharatiya Janata Party to power in the two-phase state assembly election, polling for which is scheduled on February 27 and March 3.
