A daily newspaper recently reported that one of the factors which delayed the announcement of BJP tickets was a demand of its ally Naga Peoples Front (NPF) not to put up candidates in constituencies where it is contesting, quoting reliable sources. It is quite possible, considering the nature and conduct of NPF in the coalition so far. While NPP got away with the post of Deputy CM and ministership for its three other MLAs along with plump portfolios, it remained content with a single post of minister for about three years in the term only to add another minister when the Congress defector Th Shyamkumar was disqualified.
Although NPF had the same numbers with NPP, only Losi Dikho from Mao constituency was the only minister in the state cabinet and later on Awangbou Newmai was added, while K Leishiyo of Phungyar constituency was made the chairman of Hill Areas Committee. We would say, NPF was focusing more on its political agenda and furthering the Naga cause rather than opportunities of having more ministers which becomes ultimately personal.
One remembers when the Communist Party of India (CPI) lost two of its luminaries to the Congress when they became ministers in Congress-led governments. NPP was always a thorn in the alliance, while NPF remained aloof waiting for the opportune moment to strike. All through the term, BJP had an uneasy relationship with its ally NPP. There was an occasion when the chief minister had to clip the wings of his deputy Y Joykumar by taking away major portfolios including Finance from him.
In another instance just before the Rajya Sabha elections, NPP switched sides and aligned itself with the opposition Congress. However, Chief Minister N Biren Singh with his political adroitness managed a win for the BJP candidate Maharaj Leishemba Sanajaoba in the Rajya Sabha. Later, when NPP came back to the alliance two of its ministers were axed.
In the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, NPP foisted its own candidate Thangminlien Kipgen in Outer Manipur constituency, while supporting the CPI candidate Dr M Nara in the Inner Manipur constituency. NPF on the other hand put up a strong Naga candidate Dr Lorho Pfoze in the Outer
Manipur constituency and BJP came up with a lame excuse of a candidate called Benjamin Mate. The choice of BJP candidate for the Outer Manipur constituency is still being questioned till now. The question of choosing candidates in Naga areas by BJP has once again cropped up and many people are wondering whether they had succumbed to the pressure of NPF by intentionally putting up weak candidates in namesake only.
Yes, the party has put up candidates in all the 60 constituencies including the Naga region to save face. But questions still linger on the choice of candidates. For example, in Mao constituency it has chosen to field one S Alexander Maikho who was an ADC member representing NPF and reportedly did not apply for the BJP ticket. Reports say, if one the one who applied had been given the BJP ticket Minister Dikho would have been in trouble.
Likewise, in Tamei constituency a lightweight had been fielded against Minister Awangbou Newmai. The Chief Minister N Biren Singh on his way to New Delhi for finalisation of BJP tickets made a quick stopover at Guwahati alongwith Manipur incharge Sambit Patra. The grapevine says, they had a meeting with NEDA Convenor Himanta Biswa Sharma alongwith NPF representatives.
