The BJP confirmed its return to power in Manipur, with the party bagging 32 seats seats in the 60-member Assembly, according to the Election Commission website. As per the results, NPP, which is a part of the incumbent government,  bagged seven seats and Nitish Kumar’s JD(U) won six seats. The Congress, on the other hand, decimated in its once-bastion. From being the single-largest party with 27 seats in 2017, the party managed to win only five seats.The Naga People’s Front  and the Kuki People’s Alliance  won five and two seats respectively.

The exit polls had predicted the ruling BJP would either emerge as the single largest party or cross the halfway mark. The 2017 Assembly polls in Manipur marked a crucial moment in the shift in power dynamics in the northeast. Though the  Congress had emerged as the single largest party as it won 28 seats in the 60-member house, the BJP with 21 seats got the support of four MLAs each from the Naga People’s Front and the National People’s Party and one from the Lok Janshakti Party and an independent to reach the magic figure of 31. Most polls predicted that the NPP and NPF could repeat or better their 2017 performance.

The homegrown Kuki People’s Alliance (KPA) has opened its account in Manipur, with both their candidates winning in their respective constituencies,

While in Saikul, Kimneo Haokip Hangshing, won by a margin of 1,200-odd votes, Chinlunthang beat his nearest rival, BJP’s Ginsuanhau Zou, by 1,919 votes. Its 100% strike rate comes as a surprise, especially taking into account the diktat from the outlawed Kuki National Organisation and United People’s Front to vote for the BJP. 

The little-known KPA, founded by two retired bureaucrats, a practising doctor and a lawyer and recognised as a political party just two months back, was formed to represent the interests of the Kuki tribe in Manipur.

(With inputs from agencies)