Threat to territorial integrity highlighted by Manipur CM as Kukis want autonomy

Manipur may have escaped Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s notice, but Chief Minister Biren Singh’s standing among the Meitei community seems to have the BJP well-positioned for the Lok Sabha elections in the state where ethnic conflict has been ongoing for more than a year. During Thursday’s electioneering, the chief minister attacked the Kuki demand for autonomy and urged voters to support the BJP in order to preserve the state’s “territorial integrity,” claiming that attempts were being made to undermine the state by “changing its demography.”

Tomorrow’s first round of elections will take place in the Inner Manipur constituency, which is mostly made up of the Meitei population, who make up the majority in the state. Tomorrow will also see polling in 15 of the 28 Assembly constituencies of the Outer Manipur seat, which are set aside for scheduled tribes. On April 26, voting will be held for the remaining 13 Assembly segments in the Outer Manipur seat.

Political rivals of Prime Minister Narendra Modi have been criticizing him for doing little while the Meitei and Kukis have been engaged in a civil conflict that has claimed hundreds of lives and left thousands homeless.

Modi ignored his party’s desire to visit Manipur or give them an audience in New Delhi and instead made two trips to the neighboring state of Assam, including a leisure excursion to view the one-horned rhino at the Kaziranga National Park, since ethnic violence broke out in Manipur. The BJP’s star campaigner list for Manipur, which was sent to the ECI on March 27, included Modi’s name right at the top. Still, the PM avoided the state that had been rocked by riots.

Angcomcha Bimol Akoijam, a scholar who was formerly affiliated with Jawaharlal Nehru University, has been selected by the Congress to represent Inner Manipur. Four other candidates are vying for the Lok Sabha seat, including two well-known actors, Maheshwar Thounaojam and RK Somendro. In Inner Manipur, the BJP has nominated T Basanta Kumar Singh in lieu of the sitting Member of Parliament, RK Ranjan Singh.

The anti-BJP votes are anticipated to go to Maheshwar, Somendra, and Akoijam. However, Biren Singh is seen to be in a position to take advantage of Meitei emotions and unite Meitei voters in support of Basanta Kumar Singh, the BJP candidate.

Interestingly, others believe that Kukis would probably support the BJP as well since they anticipate that the party will continue to hold power in Delhi and advance their agenda in Manipur. Churachandpur, Kangpokpi, Tamenglong, and other regions with a Kuki majority are included in the Outer Manipur constituency. In the seat, the Naga Peoples Front (NPF) nominee K Timothy Zimik has the backing of the BJP. Zimik may gain from Kuki support, but it’s uncertain how much since some Kuki organizations have urged Kukis to not cast ballots.