IMPHAL: Congress lost half of its MLAs in Manipur, mostly to the ruling BJP, over the past five years, but the party is not short on confidence.
The Congress believes the BJP’s “misgovernance” will see the grand old party through in the polls. “We won’t be affected by defections because some of those who left have not got tickets. Several BJP leaders also defected to other parties after being denied tickets,” Manipur Congress chief Nameirakpam Loken Singh said.
He said in the last election, people had reposed their faith on the BJP but it let them down. “They failed to give jobs to the youth and declare the results of some competitive exams. The government claims it is clean but it is engaged in corruption,” Singh alleged.
The Congress has not yet declared its CM candidate and is relying on seasoned politician Okram Ibobi Singh, who is a former CM, to warm up to the voters. “The MLAs will decide the CM face after the party’s victory. We are hoping to get 32 seats,” Singh said.
People who follow Manipur politics closely, however, felt the Congress overestimated its prospects. “The Congress lost half its MLAs. Most of the remaining 13-14 MLAs are likely to get re-elected. We may expect the party to win 10-12 of the state’s 60 seats. It could be 15 on the higher side,” Prof L Rajen of Manipur University said.
He was not very sure about the chances of the remaining Congress candidates. He said the Janata Dal (United) might win two-three seats and the National People’s Party more than 10. “Many of the NPP candidates are rich and this is likely to help the party,” Prof Rajen said.
“The NPP is no longer in good terms with ally BJP. They are openly criticising and accusing each other. The BJP may be more visible compared to other parties but our people are sensitive and they are not very comfortable with the way the BJP operates,” he added.