Elections in a small state in north-eastern India often do not draw much attention. And, over the years, Manipur has been known more for its insurgency problem. So, when you get an assignment to cover assembly elections in this state, you look forward to it.

I have covered the West Bengal elections for more than 15 years. So were the Manipur polls going to be very different? This was in my mind when I boarded the flight, but as I landed in Manipur, I could see that it was the “land of gems” in the truest sense. The outer portion is decked hills and the inner area is a valley. From India’s largest freshwater lake Loktak to the impressive hills, everything was clearly visible from the top.

With the shadow of the pandemic still lingering, the airport staff was strictly implementing Covid protocols, perhaps more so than at some major airports in the country.

Different vibe

I boarded the car and as we entered the city of Imphal, banners and posters of different political parties could be seen plastered all around. Narendra Modi, Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, Nitish Kumar, they were all were there. Interestingly, no one around was canvassing on loudspeakers, unlike many other states.

My driver, Budham Singh, 54, enthusiastically said, “BJP it will be…there is peace…livelihood is important to us and the last 5 years were better. Who will be the chief minister? That is the biggest discussion in Imphal.”

I wanted to gauge the mood of the political parties’ camps. As we reached the BJP office, the buzz was palpable. Workers were busy planning, and in the war room, people were monitoring and sending out tweets, as well as keeping an eye on various media.

The Congress office on BT Road did not have the same upbeat preparatory mood. Party supporters said, “The leaders are very busy, they are campaigning. So they don’t come in the morning .”

Unlike other states, while Manipur’s capital was decked with hoardings, banners and festoons, there were no meetings blocking roads, no loudspeakers, no sloganeering in the city.

Ima Market (mother’s market ) in Imphal is Asia’s largest women-run market. Seeing women busy with business there makes one wonder why their representation in the state’s electoral scene is so little given Manipur’s history of women’s empowerment. Amani Thang, 55, said, “We are busy with the market, we are hearing that the BJP’s thamba (lotus) will come. Bandhs were not there for the last 5 years, but there is doubt on whether any big development took place.”

Shankar Jha, a local resident sitting there, said, “Don’t ask them. We men will decide whom to vote for.”

Given the history of the naked women’s march during the Manorama Devi case, such insensitive comments from men give the impression that things have not changed much in Manipur.

Our day one in Manipur included a meeting with chief minister N Biren Singh. The former BSF man, footballer, journalist, Congress politician and now BJP CM was up campaigning from 8am.

We accompanied him to Sekmai, a scheduled caste constituency, and again there were no loudspeakers, no sloganeering, no big rally to our surprise. I saw women from the village come to the residence of candidate Dingo Singh with rice, fruits, and vegetables. The moment they entered, others started clapping. We saw a big flag and puja preparations going on.

The chief minister told us, “This is our mode of campaigning. All political parties seek time from pandits, we do flag puja and then flag-hoisting takes place. Our supporters from the villages come with whatever they have in their homes and show their support to us.” This was so different from electioneering I had seen in Bengal, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, etc. Campaigning was on but in a festive mood.

Scars of insurgency

Manipur has been a restive state because of insurgency and the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) has been imposed here since the 1980s. But there are differences between the perceptions about the place and reality.

Also interesting was that all the top political leaders who came to campaign in Manipur stayed in the Classic Grand. So this hotel had a special attraction, and we came to know that the famous BJP alliance game that was crafted by Himanta Biswa Sharma in 2017 took place here.

We met Bhakta Charan Das, the Congress observer of Manipur there. “Things will change. Though some people have gone out of our party, this time we have made people take loyalty pledges…AFSPA should be repealed, that too is part of our campaign.”

As we came out after talking to Das, we realised that more than 15 MLAs have changed sides from 2017; so this type of oath-taking was not unexpected. But will this work?

In the 2017 Manipur polls, the Congress got 28 seats and the BJP 21. But, despite that, the saffron party managed to get support from the NPP and NPF to form the government.

The National People’s Party (NPP) formed by PA Sangma, now looked after by his son and Meghalaya chief minister Conrad Sangma, started off in 2017 contesting in 10 seats in Manipur and bagging 4. This time it is the dark horse, local journalists say.

Our next day’s destination was the hills, the most neglected part of Manipur, according to locals. Less than 1 per cent of the state’s budget is allocated for this region, they say. Christians dominate the hills. Out of the 16 districts in Manipur, nine are in the hills. But the road showed that development was far less here compared to the valley.

We travelled to the Saikot constituency where champion boxer Mary Kom’s husband, K Onler Kom, was contesting as an independent candidate as villagers told him they needed development and the right person to represent them.

An elderly resident said, “Multispeciality hospitals, schools, etc, are missing in the hills. We also have a right to development.”

The BJP government says that CM Biren Singh has started programmes like “go to the hills” and development is now taking place.

Nod to Netaji

Our car next turned towards Moirang where freedom movement icon Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose’s Indian National Army (INA) first hoisted the Indian Flag in 1944. The INA war museum stands here to welcome you. From Netaji’s letter to the weapons used in the war, everything is on display. The feel of history also shines its light on present-day politics. Saratchandra Singh, who was with the BJP in 2017, is now the Congress candidate here and Congress’s 2017 pick Prithviraj is the BJP’s choice as they both switched sides after failing to get tickets. Saratchandra is also the grandson of K Singh who helped hoist the flag in 1944 and went to jail.

Though both candidates said they had done everything for Netaji, the mood in Moirang appeared to have tilted towards NPP, which has spoken up about AFSPA removal and many want to give it a chance.

The situation was gloomy in areas around Loktak lake. The fishermen there earn meagre amounts per day. Some have got loans, others have not. Minga Pek, a local fisherman, said, “We are now scared, we know that some development will take place on the lake. There will be a golf club. This will hamper our livelihood. What will happen to us? We don’t have an alternative and we will vote for the BJP.”

This vacuum in the opposition in Manipur was felt at several places. It seems that many will vote for the BJP because they don’t see any other option.

Our car moved on to Churachandpur. The area saw a deadly ambush on November 13 as an Assam Rifles commanding officer, his wife and son along with four other soldiers were killed after some armed men attacked their convoy with IED. We could feel the heightened security. Removal of AFSPA is a big issue here as well and, apart from the BJP, almost all political parties have put it in their manifestos.

Biren Singh told us that AFSPA repeal is an ongoing process for which the environment has to be built up.

As we stood in Churachandpur bazaar to have a cup of tea, a local teacher told us, “We need to come out of this identity of ‘insurgency’. All people do not support this. Rather after the November 13 incident, we took out rallies. Why are we tagged like that?”

This was a common refrain among many people in the district and the state.

When we met Conrad Sangma who was campaigning in Manipur, he said, “In 2017, we just thought of venturing in here and we contested only 10 seats and got four. We are getting a huge response because there is no party which feels indigenous to the people.”

The day that counts

The March 10 Manipur results will determine the veracity of a lot of claims. The BJP says it will get more than 40 of the total 60 assembly seats. The NPP says this time it will be the king and not the kingmaker. The Congress has promised “change”. What happens after the polls will be very interesting. The NPP that joined hands with the BJP last time, this time blamed the saffron party in many ways during canvassing.

The day we arrived in Manipur, we saw a lot of posters of Bihar chief minister and Janata Dal (United) leader Nitish Kumar. A local hotel employee to a tea seller, many said that this time the JD(U) will open its account in Manipur. It has poached candidates who did not get tickets from the BJP, Congress, etc. But its star candidate is Thounaojam Brinda.

The former cop who challenged the administration is now contesting from Yaskul. “We have to save Manipur from drugs and other wrong things happening. JD(U) is a national party and I am confident,” she said.

Before going back to Kolkata we decided back to have the famous Manipuri thali. Prawn, chicken, fish, the famous iromba (a vegetable preparation), they were all present. Mingpa, the owner of the establishment, and customers were busy discussing politics. “The BJP will win as it is in power at the Centre. But who will be the CM, that’s to be seen,” said Mingpa. “I am happy as all BJP leaders and even Rahul Gandhi had the Manipuri thali to get votes.”

Hate speeches, screechy slogans, blaring loudspeakers, rallies blocking roads are all missing from Manipur. Issues of lack of development, insurgency, etc, are at the forefront. That’s why Manipur is different.

The locals want to get rid of the tag of “insurgency”. They want the rest of India to know that they are a state with rich culture and ongoing development.

The BJP seems to have the edge in Manipur, but what numbers the NPP and Congress get will, of course, be important. And after the elections, the numbers can add up in many different ways.

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