Away from the media glare, Nitish Kumar's Janata Dal (United) has opened a new front against the BJP in unfamiliar territory - Manipur. Armed with rebels from other parties - largely the BJP and a few from the Congress as well - JD(U) has emerged as the biggest surprise of the Manipur polls. The party is contesting on 39 seats of the total 60 seats with some very formidable candidates, becoming yet another ally taking the BJP head-on in Manipur. JD(U) is BJP's Bihar ally and also a part of the NDA. However, it has in the past spoken against the BJP.
The Bihar Chief Minister's party is contesting mostly BJP rebels, along with two former Congress leaders and one Independent candidate who had won in the 2017 elections. Some high profile names that the JD(U) has bagged include a former chief secretary and former Deputy General of Police, and Brinda Devi, a dynamic lady cop known for a crusade against illegal drugs who left her job to join the police and is a youth icon of sorts in the state.
Khumukcham Joykisan is busy campaigning for the upcoming polls. Half a decade back he was a prominent BJP leader who in 2017 switched over to the Congress and became a firebrand MLA. Congress, however, recently suspended him. This sitting MLA is now contesting on a JD(U) ticket from his traditional Thangmeiband assembly seat and is among a dozen formidable candidates that the party has in Manipur.
Contesting in the state after a gap of 22 years, the JD(U) is a surprise package in this multi-corner poll battle. According to Mr Joykisan, it can pull up an electoral surprise as the BJP did last time.
"We are not only kingmakers, we can take the leading role as well. Who had imagined the BJP could come to power in Manipur, but it happened in 2017. Just wait and watch, we will surprise," Mr Joykisan told NDTV
Between the 80s to the 90s, the undivided Janata Dal had occupied political space in Manipur and had elected legislators in the state assembly. In 2000, a lone JD(U) candidate had won. Being a part of the NDA, they did not contest for 2 decades.
"We have received so many applications, many formidable leaders have joined our party because the clean image of our leader Nitish Kumar works to our advantage. Post polls, whoever come to us we are open. Here, we are not committed to any political understanding," said Afaque Ahmed Khan, National General Secretary of the JD(U).
Like other parties, the JD(U) has also promised to scrap the Armed Forces Special Power Act (AFSPA), a hot-button issue in the state. It has also promised 50 per cent reservation to women in panchayats if voted to power.
Ally BJP has played down the threat claiming JD(U) candidates don't have "winnability".
"Those who did not get party tickets and don't have loyalty to the party have joined smaller parties like this but they don't have winnability since that factor is working only in favour of the BJP," Chief Minister N Biren Singh told NDTV.
Congress has branded the JD(U) as a BJP proxy.
"JD(U) is their B-team, they are almost sort of BJP so we are not surprised that the rejected BJP candidates are contesting on JD(U) tickets thinking it's part of the NDA," said Manipur Congress spokesperson Kh. Devabrata Singh.
The JD(U)'s real challenge would be to hold on to its MLAs if they win. In neighbouring Nagaland, the party had in 2018 won one seat but the MLA, who was a minister in the state government, switched over to the ruling NDPP. In the 2019 Arunachal Pradesh polls, the party won 7 of the 15 seats it contested becoming the second-largest party in the state after the BJP but within a year, six MLAs switched over to the BJP.
Voting for the first phase of Manipur polls is on February 28, and the second phase is on March 5. Votes will be counted on March 10.
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