Manipur throws many a surprise to parties

Before the state went to the polls, the most contentious issues were those of the three controversial bills, and then the redistribution of the districts. While protests against the former still continues in Churachandpur with the community not burying the dead bodies of eight Kuki men for over 550 days now who died during the protests that ensued, the latter led to the economic blockade called for by the United Naga Council, blocking essentials to the state.

Yet, if one looks at the results in the hill districts, there are some surprising results. For starters, the former Deputy Chief Minister of the state, Gaikhangam, was attacked several times while travelling to his own constituency, Nungba. His chopper was attacked while trying to land to inaugurate a hospital. Locals were angry that the government did not finish the construction of the hospital before inaugurating it. Then, just days ahead of the polls, his convoy was shot at twice while on its way to Nungba to hoist a flag.

Party insiders in Bharatiya Janata Party say that Adim Pamei was not the strongest that the party had, and it was a local leader Nathuilung who had a better chance of winning. In Tegnoupal, too, where the Congress' D Korungthang won, the BJP's Yangkholet Haokip did not garner votes on a similar trajectory.

The results are surprising. In Churachandpur, Chandel, Ukhrul, Senapati, Tamenglong, etc., there seemed to be no visible sign of the Congress, while poll materials of both the BJP and the Nagaland People's Front (NPF) were everywhere.

In Churachandpur, too, MLA Phungzathang Tonsing registered a formidable 9,632, close behind the BJP's V Hangkhanlian (10,246). When the protests erupted in Churachandpur after the bills were introduced, Tonsing's house was torched and he has not returned home since August, 2015. In this case, it was the Hmar votes that ensured the BJP's win.

In Ukhrul, too, where the NPF has a strong presence, the Congress' Alfred Kanngam Arthur registered an impressive win. A social leader from Ukhrul, on conditions of anonymity, said that the BJP's pro-Hindu approach has made the Christian population wary. "Banning cow slaughter and other pro-Hindu moves have made the local Christians uncomfortable," said the leader.

The party's handing out of tickets to the wrong people in several constituencies have led to a fair bit of anger among the state cadre. So much so that a local BJP leader has claimed this in a party WhatsApp group - "If the Centre did not interfere here so much, we would have comfortably won over 30 seats".