look news india
Due to the ongoing violence in Manipur for the last one year, BJP and its allies may face trouble in the Lok Sabha elections in the North-East.
There are a total of 25 Lok Sabha seats in the Northeast, out of which the BJP has won 14 and its allies have won four. That means NDA won 18 out of 25 Lok Sabha seats.
Let us tell you that on May 3, 2023, caste violence broke out between the majority Meitei people living in the Imphal Valley of Manipur and the Kuki community living in the surrounding hills and so far more than 300 people have been killed in this violence.
The opposition is continuously attacking the Modi government regarding Manipur and is going to make it a big issue in the North East in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections.
However, Union Home Minister Amit Shah remains very active regarding Manipur and keeps holding meetings there. In the Northeast, BJP is going to contest elections by making Development and Citizenship (Amendment) Bill CAA a big issue. In 2014, the BJP won seven seats in Assam and one in Arunachal Pradesh, while the Congress won three seats in Assam and five in the rest of the Northeast.
This election of 2024 is becoming very important, because the current tenure of the Delimitation Commission will end in 2026 and the process of creation of new parliamentary constituencies will begin in the country.
After this, there is a possibility of many new constituencies being added. Talking about north-eastern states, there are 14 seats in Assam, 2 in Arunachal Pradesh, 2 in Manipur, 2 in Meghalaya, 2 in Tripura, 1 in Mizoram, 1 in Nagaland and 1 in Sikkim.
The north-eastern states are under-represented in every way in terms of area and population. The area of the Lok Sabha seat of Arunachal Pradesh is 41,872 square kilometers, while the area of Mizoram is 21,081 square kilometers. Nagaland has one Lok Sabha seat with an area of 16,579 sq km.
The Congress, which once ruled the North-Eastern states with a monopoly, is now almost out of power there. There is a BJP and NPP government in Arunachal, a BJP and AGP government in Assam, while in Manipur also the NPP and other parties are in the government along with the BJP.
In Meghalaya, BJP is with NPP and UDP, in Mizoram, Zoram People's Movement is in government and in Nagaland also, BJP is in government with NDPP.
The biggest problem for Congress is that all its senior leaders from the North-East have left the party. They have either joined BJP or formed their own regional party. Congress national president Mallikarjun Kharge and AICC general secretary KC Venugopal are busy reviving units in the north-eastern states. Working President of Arunachal Pradesh Congress Bosiram Siram is definitely active.
Congress is preparing a different agenda for the North-Eastern states and the recent Manipur violence has also inspired it to fight in the North-East. Congress will raise the issue of protecting the interests of local people by recognizing diverse and rich cultures, languages and traditions.
Congress is also going to promise to restore the special status of the North-Eastern states. Congress may also promise to withdraw a separate industrial policy for all north-eastern states and the Citizenship Amendment Bill. Congress will also make the issue of illegal immigration an election issue.