The Congress won 28 of the Manipur's 60 seats.
Strife-torn Manipur today delivered a split verdict today -- which while appearing to favour the Congress, has placed the BJP in a stronger position. The Congress won 28 of the state's 60 seats - three-time Chief Minister Okram Ibobi Singh's move to bifurcate seven districts winning him the votes in the Naga areas. But with the halfway mark at 31 seats, the Congress still needs three to stake claim to form government.
BJP chief Amit Shah has already said his party - which won 21 seats -- will form the next government of Manipur. The party has already made its presence felt in the north-east, winning the elections in Assam last year. Even Arunachal Pradesh has a BJP government now.
What will help the BJP in Manipur are the eight seats won between the Naga People's Front and National People's Party. The two regional parties are part of the North East Democratic Alliance or NEDA - a front of anti-Congress parties stitched together by BJP chief Amit Shah and the party's powerhouse in Assam, Himanta Biswa Sarma, who switched camp from Congress in the run-up to the assembly elections.
The Naga People's Front has been supporting the blockade in the state since November, livid over the Congress government's decision to carve out seven new districts. The party, which won 4 seats, has already indicated that it would support a non-Congress government. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has vowed to end the economic blockade, which has crippled the state's transport and deprived it of essential supplies.
Ram Vilas Paswan's Lok Janshakti Party, which won one seat in Manipur, is already an ally of the BJP. Mr Paswan has already said his party will support the BJP in Manipur. The seat that hangs in balance has been won by an Independent.