2017 was a landmark year in the history of Manipuri politics as it was the year when the BJP ended the uninterrupted dominance of Congress for the first time in 15 years. Congress had failed to secure a majority despite being the single largest party. The BJP formed partnerships with smaller parties to form a coalition government, leaving Congress to lick its wounds. Now, the state of Manipur is headed towards a polling set to be carried out on February 27 and March 3.
Here is a brief overview of the very tumultuous, if not an exciting, history of politics in Manipur:
Congress’ Dominance
After the erstwhile princely state of Manipur merged with India in 1949, a party called the Praja Shanti Party came to power at the helm of a coalition government. Manipur finally received the designation of statehood from that as a Union Territory in 1972. From 1957 to 1972, Congress succeeded in forming a government either through an absolute majority or via a coalition. Once it became a state, Manipur held its first election in 1972. The polls were held for 60 seats of the state Assembly — 40 and 20 in the Meitei-dominated valley area and the surrounding tribal hill districts, respectively.
The period of insurgency
The state can be geographically divided into the valley and the hills. The most of population lives in the valley, and the hills occupy ninth-tenths of the area of the state lag in terms of development and distribution of funds. It has caused a deep rift to be formed between the two. Then there is the dispute between the Kuki and the Naga tribes, who disagree over the borders of their supposed territorial homelands. These issues have caused extreme volatility in the state, culminating in the imposition of the president’s rule for several spells until the 1990s.
There are many holding the belief that the merger of Manipur with India was forced. This ideology has led to the formation of several insurgency outfits, such as the United National Liberation Front (UNLF), the People’s Liberation Army (PLA), the People’s Revolutionary Party of Kangleipak and the Kangleipak Communist Party (KCP). These outfits are considered a threat to the territorial integrity of Manipur and, by extension, India, as their demands include a separate homeland for the ‘Naga’ tribe and even an “independent” Manipur, free from India.
The Ibobi Rule
Congress leader Okram Ibobi Singh dominated the political scene of Manipur from 2002 to 2017, being nominated as the chief minister for three consecutive terms. This regime saw frequent turmoil and has been attributed to deepening the rift between the valley and the hills.
BJP comes into power
The BJP formed the government when it won 21 seats in the 2017 state assembly elections despite Congress winning 28. It created a coalition with smaller parties like the National People’s Party (NPP) and the Naga People’s Front (NPF), which bagged four seats each. It did so on the back of three controversial “anti-tribal” bills as Congress was plagued by infighting and defections.
