Party emerges as an obvious choice for leaders who have been denied tickets by the two major national parties.
New Delhi: Bihar-based Janata Dal United (JDU) is trying to make an impact in the Manipur Assembly polls and has emerged as an obvious choice for leaders who have been denied tickets by the two major political parties the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Indian National Congress (INC) in the state. Multiple sources from the party have confirmed to The Sunday Guardian that the JDU is trying to win 7-15 seats in the Manipur Assembly polls, so that it can emerge as a kingmaker in the state after the results.
Experts argue that the Bihar-based party had got confidence in Manipur as more than 20 senior leaders of the state who have been Member of Legislative Assembly (MLAs) or held senior positions in the two major parties namely the BJP and the INC and had been denied ticket this time by them, have joined the JDU in the run-up to the polls. Senior Congress leaders like Elangbam Dwijamani, Congress MLA from Thangmeiband Assembly segment Khumukcham Joykishan and former MLA from Lilong Abdul Nasir have joined the JDU. Similarly, former BJP MLA from Lamlai constituency Kshetrimayum Biren Singh, former MLA from Sagolband Assembly segment Khwairakpam Loken Singh have joined the JDU and brought the party in a triangular fight in these seats.
A senior party leader who is stationed in Manipur said, “We may get 15 Assembly seats in the state. Since the last one-and-a-half months, our party’s machinery is very active in the state. We are getting a good response from the voters of Manipur. The Janata family had an old connection with Manipur as in the past also we have won Assembly seats in the state, we are capitalizing on it.”
Talking to The Sunday Guardian, Imphal based political commentator Longjam Dorendra Singh who had closely followed the state politics said, “Both the BJP and the INC had long list of candidates on each of the 60 assembly seats, hence it was not possible to accommodate each leader who have been MLA in the past. These leaders have joined the JDU, it is true that the party is in serious contest in around 8-10 seats out of the 60 Assembly segments in Manipur.”
Out of the 60 Assembly segments, the JDU had filed candidates in 38 seats. In the past also the party has contested the 2000, 2002, 2007 and 2012 Assembly polls in the state.
In the 2000 Assembly elections the JDU contested 18 seats and its candidate from Singhat assembly segment N. Zatawn emerged victorious. But in 2002, 2007 and 2012 Manipur Assembly elections, the party was not able to win a single seat. The importance of Manipur in the party’s national ambition was such that after being appointed as the national president Rajiv Ranjan Singh alias Lalan Singh’s first decision was to reconstitute the party’s North East Executive Council (NEEC) which will look after the affairs of the party in the region.
It was argued that the new committee was constituted early keeping in view the Manipur Assembly polls. Members of the committee include party’s national general secretary and in-charge for the North-East states Afaque Ahmad Khan, JDU state president from Manipur, Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, Tripura, Meghalaya, Mizoram and Sikkim and Bihar’s Water Resource minister Sanjay Kumar Jha.