IT News
Imphal, Dec 29:
In a major setback to the National People’s Party in poll-bound Manipur, youth affairs and sports minister Letpao Haokip in the N Biren Singh government joined the BJP in New Delhi on Wednesday. Senior BJP leaders have also hinted at no pre-poll alliance with the NPP ahead of the Manipur legislative assembly election in 2022.
BJP hopes that Haokip’s popularity as an international football player would attract youngsters to the party.
While this may seem like a routine exercise, senior leaders said a sitting NPP minister joining BJP ahead of state polls will have repercussions on Meghalaya and Arunachal Pradesh. “This will also up the ante. NPP was seeing itself as the principal challenger to the chair in Manipur,” said a senior leader.
The political atmosphere in Manipur is expected to shift from cordial to aggressive between the NPP and BJP.
While NPP is trying to expand its base in the northeast, the Manipur election is particularly significant for its pan-India ambition, according to a senior party leader.
“The depleting base of NPP in the northeast will further suffer from huge electoral loss as Haokip’s move will affect more than nine constituencies in Manipur,” said a senior BJP leader.
The NPP has the largest base in Manipur apart from Meghalaya, according to a party leader.
In the last Manipur assembly election in 2017, the BJP had won 21 seats. At present, the party has 24 MLAs in the 60-seat assembly.
